Murphy Climbs to No. 14 in Golfweek's World Amateur Rankings

June 17, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina senior Will Murphy has climbed to No. 14 in the latest Golfweek/Amateurgolf.com World Player Rankings released this week.

Murphy is one of three Gamecocks ranked in the top 100, as senior Caleb Sturgeon is No. 81 and junior Matt NeSmith is No. 92. Murphy, Sturgeon and NeSmith are ranked seventh, 41st and 49th, respectively, in the U.S. rankings.

The golfers earn the points for their rankings based on their finishes in designated amateur tournaments around the world as well as at the NCAA Championship and NCAA regional tournaments.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Murphy made the move up the rankings after winning the 61st Sunnehanna Amateur in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Saturday, his third top-10 finish at an amateur event in the last four months. He tied for sixth at the Palmetto Amateur on June 7 and won the Azalea Invitational in March. He also finished tied for 15th at the NCAA Championship in May to earn his first career All-America honor.

NeSmith recently finished tied for third at the Palmetto Amateur, while Sturgeon is coming off a tie for 29th showing at the NCAA Championship. All three golfers played a key role in leading South Carolina to one of the most successful seasons in school history. The Gamecocks won three tournaments during the regular season and matched the school record with nine top-five finishes. Carolina went on to finish ninth at the NCAA Championship, the program’s second-highest finish at the event all-time.