Sept. 19, 2014

KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. — The South Carolina men’s golf team shot rounds of 286 (+2) and 287 (+3) at the first day of the DICK’S Collegiate Challenge Cup on Friday at The Golf Club of Tennessee in Kingston Springs, Tenn.

The Gamecocks finished the day in fifth place with a total of 573 (+5). Georgia Tech leads the tournament with a total of 562 (-6), followed by Vanderbilt (564), Virginia (568) and Georgia (572).

Junior Will Starke posted the lowest total of the day for the Gamecocks with a 36-hole score of 137 (-5) to finish in a tie for third. Starke carded rounds of 69 (-2) and 68 (-3) while tallying a team-leading 10 birdies and his fourth eagle of the season.

Junior Matt NeSmith finished next on the leaderboard for South Carolina with rounds of 70 (-1) and 72 (+1) to finish the day tied for 14th with a total of 142 (E). Senior Will Murphy and senior Caleb Sturgeon turned in two-round scores of 146 and 149, respectively. Murphy is tied for 27th, while Sturgeon is tied for 37th. Rounding out the lineup, sophomore Ben Dietrich is tied for 42nd with a total of 150 (+8).

Vanderbilt’s Carson Jacobs sits atop the individual leaderboard after carding an 8-under 134.

Key Stat
Starke tallied a team-best 10 birdies on the afternoon on his way to posting a 36-hole total of 137 (-5).

Notables
• Will Starke currently leads the nation in eagles after tallying his fourth of the season.
• Starke was one of only six golfers to record an eagle through two rounds of the tournament.
• As a team, the Gamecocks are now tied for first in the nation with seven eagles.
• After 36 holes, South Carolina leads the tournament in par-5 scoring
• The Gamecocks entered the tournament third in the nation with 109 birdies and after accumulating 35 birdies they are now in first place with 144
• Starke has now recorded a team-leading seven rounds of par or better this year
• South Carolina’s 286 is tied for the second lowest first round score of the tournament

Quotable
South Carolina Head Coach Bill McDonald
“Overall I thought we looked a little sloppy and out of sync most of the day. We made seven double bogeys as a team in the second round and that’s just no acceptable. Will Starke played really well and Matt [NeSmith] did too. They [Starke and NeSmith] really carried us for the day. Now we have to regroup and have a better showing tomorrow as a team.”

Up Next
The Gamecocks tee off in the third round on Saturday starting at 9:55 a.m. CT and will be paired with Georgia and Clemson. The tournament will conclude with a round of match play on Sunday. Live scoring is available at golfstatresults.com.

South Carolina ResultsT3. Will Starke (1)      69-68=137 (-5)T13. Matt NeSmith (3)       70-72=142 (E)T27. Will Murphy (2)     73-73=146 (+4)T37. Caleb Sturgeon (5)       74-75=149 (+7)T42. Ben Dietrich (4)       76-74=150 (+8)
Team Standings1. Georgia Tech         290-272=562 (-6)2. Vanderbilt           280-284=564 (-4)3. Virginia         286-282=568 (E)4. Georgia          292-280=582 (+4)5. South Carolina        286-287=573 (+5)6. Clemson          289-285=574 (+6)7. Texas A&M            295-283=578 (+10)8. Louisville           298-284=582 (+14)9. Duke             296-287=583 (+15)10. Mississippi         295-290=585 (+17)11. North Carolina State    292=302=594 (+26)12. Missouri            295-301=596 (+28)