Record Day Propels Gamecocks to Big Lead at Palmetto Intercollegiate

AIKEN, S.C. – South Carolina played lights out golf in the first and second rounds of the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate to take a commanding 17-shot lead over the rest of the field after 36 holes on Monday. The Gamecocks posted one of the best two-round performances in school history, shooting a 12-under 268 in round one, and an 11-under 269 in the second round. Four players are in the top-10 for Carolina, with senior Will Miles sitting alone atop the leaderboard.
 
“It was a great day for the team and I’m really glad some of their hard work is starting to pay off,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “We made some putts and played aggressively when it was appropriate. Hopefully this is something we can build on for the spring.”
 
Miles is 11-under overall for the tournament and five shots ahead of everyone else after shooting a career-best 64 (-6) in the morning. He followed that up with a 65 (-5) in the afternoon. The Hilton Head, S.C., native did not have a bogey all day.
 
Senior Ryan Stachler is in second at 6-under after shooting a 69 (-1) this morning and a career-best 65 (-5) this afternoon. The Alpharetta, Ga., native finished the day T-2^nd in the field with 10 birdies. In the second round, Stachler was 7-under through 15 holes after opening the back nine with an eagle and four red numbers.
 
Senior Scott Stevens and junior Caleb Proveaux are each T-6^th at 3-under for the tournament. Stevens shot 69 (-1) in the morning and 68 (-2) this afternoon. He also has 10 birdies through 36 holes alongside Stachler. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native made the turn at 3-over this afternoon and shot a 5-under, bogey-free 31 on the back nine to finish strong. Proveaux shot a career-best 66 (-4) in the first round thanks to a 5-under, bogey-free back nine. The Gilbert, S.C., native carded a 71 (+1) in round two. Fellow junior Jamie Wilson is T-44^th at 6-over for the tournament. The Mount Pleasant, S.C., native posted a 75 (+5) in round one and a 71 (+1) in the second round. Wilson was bogey-free on the back nine in round two with three birdies.
 
The Gamecocks record day saw a field-best 41 birdies. On the back nine, the four counting scores combined for 29 birdies and two eagles (-35).
 
Carolina’s first round score tied for the fifth-lowest in program history (also shot 268 in the opening round of the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic on 11/3/17). The team’s second round score is tied for the seventh-lowest 18-hole score all-time (previously shot 269 on three other occasions).
 
In six Palmetto Intercollegiate appearances under McDonald since 2012, the Gamecocks have won two titles (2015 and 2016). Carolina has also won Palmetto Intercollegiate titles in 2004 under Puggy Blackmon and 1991 under Steve Liebler.
 
The Gamecocks had the third lowest 54-hole score in program history in their 2016 victory with a final tally of 821 (276-266-279) and the fourth lowest 54-hole score all-time in the team’s 2015 win after shooting 825 (270-276-279). McDonald and his team have positioned themselves well to be in contention with those marks on Tuesday.

R2 TEAM LEADERBOAD – 2019 CLEVELAND GOLF PALMETTO INTERCOLLEGIATE
1. South Carolina – 537 (-23)
2. Virginia – 554 (-6)
3. Clemson – 561 (+1)
4. UAB – 564 (+4)
5. Memphis – 565 (+5)
6. USC-Aiken – 568 (+8)
7. Charleston Southern – 569 (+9)
8. Wofford – 577 (+17)
9. Furman – 579 (+19)
10. Temple – 580 (+20)
11. VCU – 581 (+21)
12. Francis Marion – 585 (+25)
T-13. Presbyterian – 586 (+26)
T-13. Akron – 586 (+26)
T-15. Army – 589 (+29)
T-15. Winthrop – 589 (+29)
17. William & Mary – 590 (+30)
18. Rhode Island – 606 (+46)  

R2 GAMECOCK LEADERBOAD – 2019 CLEVELAND GOLF PLAMETTO INTERCOLLEGIATE
1. Will Miles – 129 (-11)
2. Ryan Stachler – 134 (-6)
3. Scott Stevens – 137 (-3)
4. Caleb Proveaux – 137 (-3)
5. Jamie Wilson –  146 (+6)
 
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