March 24, 2015

Results

PALM CITY, Fla. — South Carolina junior Will Starke matched the school record by firing an 8-under 63 in the final round of the Valspar Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday at Floridian National Golf Club to lead the seventh-ranked Gamecocks to a third-place finish.

Carolina earned its seventh-straight top-five finish by shooting a final-round 277 (-7) to wrap up the week with a 54-hole total of 841 (-11), which is the eighth lowest 54-hole total in school history. The Gamecocks finished six strokes back of tournament champion Florida State. The second-ranked Seminoles won the title with a total of 835 (-17). LSU took second with a total of 840 (-12).

Starke, who began the day tied for 41st, bogeyed the par-3 second hole, but that turned out to be his only blemish on the scorecard. During his final 16 holes, he strung together seven birdies and an eagle to get into the clubhouse with a 63 to finish tied for 11th with a total of 211 (-2). A native of Chapin, S.C., Starke joins Kyle Thompson and David Seawell as the only Gamecock golfers to card a 63. Thompson posted a 63 at the 1999 NCAA East Regional, while Seawell carded a 63 at the 1996 Gator Invitational.

Junior Matt NeSmith concluded a stellar week at Floridian with a final-round 69 (-2). He closed out the tournament with a total of 210 (-3) to finish tied for sixth, his third top-10 finish this season. He now has 14 top-10 finishes in his career, which ties him with volunteer assistant and former Gamecock All-American Carl Paulson (1989-93) for sixth on Carolina’s career top-10 finishes list.

Senior Will Murphy also earned a top-20 finish as he carded a final-round 72 (+1) to tie for 16th with a total of 212 (-1).

Senior Caleb Sturgeon tied for 25th with a total of 215 (+2) after shooting a 73 (+2) on Tuesday. Rounding out the lineup, junior Sean Kelly tied for 50th with a total of 224 (+11) after shooting a 76 (+5).

South Florida finished fourth with a total of 855 (+3), while Texas A&M rounded out the top five with a total of 856 (+4). Top-ranked Illinois finished seventh (865), while No. 10 UCLA (867) and No. 5 Georgia Tech (873) placed eighth and 10th, respectively. Texas A&M’s Greg Yates claimed medalist honors with a total of 201 (-12).

Round Changer
Starke matched the school record by firing an 8-under 63 on Tuesday. After making a bogey on his second hole of the day, the Gamecock junior played the final 16 holes at 9-under, including seven birdies and an eagle.

Notable
• The Gamecocks have finished in the top five in seven-straight events and 16 of their last 19 events dating back to last season.
• Carolina’s total of 841 is the eighth lowest 54-hole total in school history.
• The Gamecocks’ final-round 277 (-7) tied for the lowest round of the day on Tuesday. Texas A&M also shot a 277.
• Carolina was one of five top-10 teams competing at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational this week. Second-ranked Florida State won the title, while No. 1 Illinois finished seventh, No. 10 UCLA finished eighth and No. 5 Georgia Tech placed 10th.
• Starke’s 63 ties the school record for lowest round, joining Kyle Thompson and David Seawell as the only Gamecocks to record a 63. Thompson shot a 63 at the 1999 NCAA East Regional, and Seawell carded a 63 at the 1996 Gator Invitational.
• Starke has recorded 16 rounds in the 60s this season.
• NeSmith’s tie for sixth finish is his 14th career top-10 finish, moving him into a tie with volunteer assistant and former Gamecock All-American Carl Paulson (1989-93) for sixth on Carolina’s career top-10 finishes list.

Quotable
South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald
“We played well this week against a great field, and I’m proud of our effort. We gave away too many shots yesterday and just couldn’t climb the hill today. Will Starke’s round is one of the best I’ve seen in college golf, and Matt NeSmith’s play this week was outstanding. These guys keep putting us in contention to win, and that’s a trend we hope to continue going forward.”

Up Next
The Gamecocks will close out their regular season March 29-31 at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate. The 54-hole event will be contested at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, S.C.