DICKSON - Sophomore Anthony Bradley, of the Austin Peay State University men's golf team, won the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Golf Championship, while the Govs finished second.

Bradley, who was a second-team All-OVC selection as voted on by the league's coaches, shot 66-71-73 for a six-under par 210 to win the individual championship by three shots. Bradley's round took a late hit when a wayward tee shot on No. 18 went out of bounds, leading to a double-bogey finish.

With the win, the sophomore from England earns the OVC's automatic bid to play in the NCAA Regionals as an individual.

"I couldn't be more proud for Anthony," head coach Kirk Kayden said. "I know it's bittersweet for him right now, but he's going to represent our league well at the regionals. He had a great tournament to cap a great year."

Jacksonville State (861) held on to win the championship by one shot over Austin Peay (862), becoming the first and only OVC team to beat the Govs this season.

Things looked promising when the Govs opened the tournament with a 280 to take an early eight-shot lead. However, a second-round 295 allowed JSU to move out front for the final round. The Govs finished with a one-under par 287, but it wasn't enough for a title.

Junior Dustin Korte joined Bradley on the OVC's All-Tournament, finishing tied for fourth (70-72-72) with a two-under par 214. Sophomore Marco Iten tied for 13^th (71-75-72) with a 218, followed by freshman Tucker Wallace who tied for 24^th (73-80-71) at 224 and sophomore Trey Tarpley in 32^nd (76-77-75) at 228.

"All year we've needed that fourth score," Kayden said. "We needed it big time in the second round and didn't get it. Unfortunately, we didn't make enough shots to win this. I guarantee you that each of these guys can look at their rounds and find one or two shots they should've hit. That's what it comes down to."

Wallace had the Govs best final-round performance, shooting two under par with an front-nine eagle and two birdies on the back. Korte had a pair of back-nine birdies, while Tarpley need three late birdies to offset a five-over par front-nine score.

While the finish is disappointing, the silver lining lies in the team's youth. With one junior, three sophomores and a freshman on the roster, the Govs are poised to make another championship run next season.

"This is definitely motivation for next year," Kayden said. "We've got everybody coming back and we're going to use this as an excuse to get better."

-AP-