Carolina Tied for Ninth after Two Rounds at the Valspar

March 21, 2016

VALSPAR COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Tournament Scores // Tournament Stats // Twitter // Facebook

GAMECOCK SCORECARDS

Will Starke
Round 1: 79
Round 2: 79
Round 3:
To Par: +16
Place: T73rd

Matt NeSmith
Round 1: 71
Round 2: 71
Round 3:
To Par: E
Place: 7th

Scott Stevens
Round 1: 71
Round 2: 73
Round 3:
To Par: +2
Place: T13th

Keenan Huskey
Round 1: 74
Round 2: 75
Round 3:
To Par: +7
Place: T35th

Will Miles
Round 1: 78
Round 2: 79
Round 3:
To Par: +15
Place: T69th

Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	Total
1.	Texas	287	287		570 (+2)
2.	LSU	286	294		580 (+12)
3.	Oklahoma State	295	288		583 (+15)
4.	Texas A&M	294	290		584 (+16)
5.	USF	296	286		585 (+17)
6.	Clemson	293	295		588 (+20)
T7.	Houston	301	289		590 (+22)
T7.	Illinois	295	295		590 (+22)
T9.	South Carolina	294	298		592 (+24)
T9.	Florida State	288	304		592 (+24)
11.	Arkansas	298	297		595 (+27)
12.	Kent State	294	302		596 (+28)
13.	Georgia Tech	307	293		600 (+32)
14.	Memphis	289	316		605 (+37)
15.	Florida	309	302		611 (+43)

Dates: March 21-22

Location: Palm City, Fla.

Course: Floridian National Golf Club

Par: 71

Yards: 6,999

PALM CITY, Fla. — The University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team is tied for ninth place after 36 holes at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. Facing a loaded field made up exclusively of teams ranked in Golfstat’s national top-50, the No. 18 Gamecocks posted rounds of 294 and 298 for a 36-hole total of 592 (+24) on Monday. Senior Matt NeSmith holds seventh place after matching 71s gave him a score of 142 (E) after one day.

No. 8 Texas leads the field after Monday’s action with a 36-hole total of 570 (+2). Individually, Longhorn junior Gavin Hall has a three-shot lead with 18 to play, at 137 (-5).

Not only does the Valspar feature a field made up exclusively of top-50 teams, it also includes 30 of the top-100 individuals in the Golfstat rankings and eight members of the Ben Hogan Award Watch List. Coming off of two straight medalist honors, NeSmith, ranked 33rd individually according to Golfstat, currently sits fifth among top-100 players and third among Hogan Watch List selections.

NeSmith began each of his two rounds on the fifth hole and shot 71 (E) in both the morning and afternoon sessions. He tallied four birdies in each of his rounds, remaining consistent on a day when conditions were difficult.

Freshman Scott Stevens also turned in two solid rounds, firing a 71 (E) and a 73 (+2) to sit tied for 13th at 144 (+2). Stevens, who is coming off back-to-back top-10 results in South Carolina’s last two tournaments, made six birdies on the day, including three in a four-hole stretch starting with the par-4 14th hole in his first round.

Keenan Huskey is tied for 35th with one day left at Floridian with a two-round total of 149 (+7). The sophomore had the individual highlight of the day for South Carolina, with an eagle on the par-4 6th hole, the opening hole of his second round. He added six birdies to his ledger on Monday.

Will Miles is tied for 69th after Monday’s 36 holes. He shot rounds of 78 (+7) and 79 (+8) and has a 36-hole score of 157 (+15). The freshman’s best stretch came early in his first round, as he birdied three out of four holes starting with the par-4 10th.

Senior Will Starke shot a pair of 79s (+8) on Monday. The Byron Nelson Award candidate is tied for 73rd, at 158 (+16).

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

“It was a very frustrating day for us overall. We were in position early in the second round to make a good run at the leaders, but we lost a ton of shots toward the end of the round. The golf course played pretty tough with windy conditions and some tough pins. Matt played another solid two rounds, but as a team, we are going to have to make some adjustments and play a lot better tomorrow if we are going to move up the leaderboard.”

Round Changer

NeSmith continues to raise his national profile, including consecutive SEC Golfer of the Week honors and a top-20 spot in the Palmer Cup rankings. The senior has shot Carolina’s best score in eight of the team’s 11 rounds this spring, including both rounds on Monday. He is one of just six players to play the par-3 holes under par on Monday at the Valspar, and his eight birdies rank tied for fifth.

Notable

Huskey was one of just seven players to card an eagle on Monday.
The Gamecocks are going for their third straight tournament victory after previous wins at the Palmetto Intercollegiate and General Hackler Championship.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

South Carolina has one final round at Floridian on Tuesday as the Valspar comes to a close. The day begins at 8 a.m., and fans can follow live scoring at Golfstat.com.