June 8, 2013

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — South Carolina rising sophomore Matt NeSmith came up short of making the cut at the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Classic after shooting a second-round 76 (+6) on Friday at TPC Southwind.

NeSmith finished the week with a total of 149 (+9), which was eight strokes shy of the cut line of 1-over par. He carded a 3-over 73 in Thursday’s first round to put himself in position to make the cut heading into the weekend.

A native of North Augusta, S.C., NeSmith had one of the most successful freshman seasons in school history, earning SEC Freshman of the Year and PING All-Southeast Region honors. He led the team in scoring with a stroke average of 72.64, which is the second lowest average for a freshman in school history. His seven top-10 finishes are tied for the second most all-time in a single season at South Carolina. He helped lead the Gamecocks to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship and a tie for second finish at the NCAA Columbus Regional, which secured the program’s first berth to the NCAA Championship since 2009. NeSmith was South Carolina’s top finisher at the NCAA Championship, finishing tied for 38th after firing a final-round 66 (-4).