Nathan Franks

AWARDS/HONORS

• Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American (2024)
• PING All-Southeast Region (2024)
• No. 21 in final PGA TOUR U Rankings (2024-25)
• No. 5 lowest career scoring average in program history (71.62)
• T-11^th most career top-five finishes in program history (7)
• Two career wins and one of 18 golfers in program history with multiple victories
• SEC Golfer of the Week (3/15/23, 2/7/24, 3/20/24)
• GCAA Scholar All-American (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
• College Sports Communicators Academic All-District (2022-23)
• SEC Academic Honor Roll (2023, 2024, 2025)
• SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll (2021-22)

2024-25 (SENIOR)

• Played in all 12 events in final season in Garnet & Black, logging a season scoring average of 70.97 (second on the team) with a team-high 22 rounds of par or better ; had six top-20 finishes and a pair of top-fives
• Finished No. 21 in the final PGA TOUR U Rankings, becoming the second Gamecock and first since All-American Ryan Hall in 2021-22 (No. 11) to finish in the top-25
• Helped lead the Gamecocks back to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2019 and earn a final ranking of No. 22 in the final Clippd Poll; finished No. 69 in the final Clippd Player Rankings
• T-18^th at the NCAA Championship (May 23-26) after making the cut for the medal round as an individual ; shot 288 (E) at Omni La Costa, T-7^th lowest 72-hole score in program history ; fired scores of 71-72-73-72 ; became the eighth player in school history to record a top-20 finish at the NCAA Championship and first since All-American Will Starke in 2016
• T-24^th at the NCAA Bremerton Regional (May 12-14) with a 54-hole total of 218 (+2) ; shot 74-73-71 at Gold Mountain Golf Club
• Made his PGA TOUR debut at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic (May 8-11) and made the cut ; finished T-37^th competing as an amateur with a 72-hole total of 279 (-5) ; shot 67-70-71-71 at Dunes Golf and Beach Glub ; secured his spot in the field after winning The Q, a qualifying event put on by Play Golf Myrtle Beach and PGA TOUR Studios in early March
• Led the team at the SEC Championship (April 23-25) with a T-13^th finish ; shot 205 (-5) with rounds of 65-68-72 at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course ; the opening round 65 tied for the second-lowest, 18-hole score at SECs in program history
• Took fourth at the Linger Longer Invitational (March 14-16) with a 54-hole total of 208 (-8) ; fired a career-low score of 64 (-8) in the final round, T-3^rd lowest third round score in program history
• Finished third at The Hayt (March 8-10) with a 54-hole score of 210 (-6)
• T-13^th at the Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 10-12) to open the spring ; shot 209 (-7) with scores of 69-71-69
• T-12^th at the season-opening Visit Knoxville Collegiate (Sept. 6-8) ; shot 208 (-2) after opening the tournament with a round one score of 66 (-4)

2023-24 (JUNIOR)

• Earned Honorable Mention All-America honors from Golfweek after logging a 70.86 scoring average in seven stroke play starts ; shot par or better 14 times in 21 rounds played with eight rounds in the 60s ; was also named PING All-Southeast Region
• Had three top-20 finishes including the first two wins of his career in the spring
• Returned to the lineup for the Baton Rouge Regional after missing four tournaments in the spring due to injury ; led the team with a T-12^th finish shooting 215 (-1) ; climbed 15 spots on the leaderboard in the final round with a 66 (-6) that featured eight birdies ; logged a bogey free 30 (-6) on the front nine
• Won for the second time in a three tournament stretch at the Schenkel Invitational (March 15-17) ; fired career-best 54-hole score of 203 (-13) with three consecutive rounds in the 60s ; earned SEC Golfer of the Week honors for the performance
• Earned first career win at the Thomas Sharkey Ind. Collegiate (Feb. 3-4) ; shot 204 (-12) with scores of 68-66-70 ; garnered SEC Golfer of the Week recognition
• T-23^rd at the Daniel Island Intercollegiate )and T-24^th at the Folds of Honor Collegiate (Sept. 4-6)

2022-23 (SOPHOMORE)

• One of two players to play and start in all 11 events for the Gamecocks
• Led the team with a 71.97 scoring average and a trio of top-five finishes
• Paced Carolina with a T-38^th finish at the SEC Championship (April 19-21)
• T-4^th at the General Hackler Championship (March 13-14) ; shot 207 (-9) with three consecutive red numbers ; performance earned him SEC Golfer of the Week honors for the first time in his career
• T-2^nd at the Palmetto Intercollegiate (March 6-7) helping lead the team to a comfortable victory ; shot 206 (-4) with rounds of 69-67-70 ; was a career-best finish
• Defeated Cameron Tankersley of Ole Miss at the SEC Match Play (Sept. 25-27) ; shot 209 (-1) in the stroke play portion with a T-36^th finish ; his final round 65 (-5) matched a career-best, 18-hole score
• Made the round of 16 at the 122nd U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club ; fell in extra holes to runner-up medalist Ben Carr ; was the furthest any Gamecock has made it at the U.S. Am since All-American Matt NeSmith played in the round of 32 against eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau ; earned the No. 18 seed for match play after finish T-14^th in stroke play portion of the event after shooting 142 (+1)

2021-22 (FRESHMAN)

• Saw action in all 10 of the team’s stroke play events (nine starts in the lineup), posting a scoring average of 72.60
• Posted 13 rounds of par or better
• T-34^th at NCAA Norman Regional (May 17-19) after shooting 221 (+5)
• T-34^th at the SEC Championship (April 21-23) after shooting 213 (+3) ; carded a 3-under 67 in the second round which matched a season-best, 18-hole score
• Had a season-best T-21^st finish at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate (March 27-29) ; shot 214 (-2) with a season-best score of 67 (-5) in the opening round
• T-22^nd at the Puerto Rico Classic (Feb. 13-15) with a season-best, 54-hole score of 208 (-8)
• Shot 220 (+4) and T-25^th at the Daniel Island Invitational
• Made his debut in Garnet & Black playing as an individual in the J.T. Poston Invitational (Sept. 27-28) ; T-40^th at 4-over (217) and shot 69 (-2) in his first collegiate round

PRIOR TO SOUTH CAROLINA

• AJGA Rolex All-American
• 6 in the state in the final SCJGA rankings and No. 126 in the final Rolex AJGA rankings
• Two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection for the Dorman Cavaliers
• T-5^th at the 2021 Scott Robertson Memorial
• 2021 5A Upper State Champion
• 2021 Hurricane Invitational Champion
• 2021 Rebel Invitational Champion
• 2020 AJGA Rome Junior Classic runner-up
• 2020 CGA Creed Boys Invitational Champion
• 2020 CGA Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational Champion
• 2019 AJGA Calloway Golf – Ollie Schniederjans Junior Classic Champion
• Member of the Beta Club and National Honor Society

PERSONAL

• Son of Ed and Shannon Franks – has a younger sister, Abby
• Finance major
• The All-Star Special is his go to Waffle House order
• 8-iron is his favorite club in the bag because he feels the most control with it
• Musgrove Mill is favorite course to play in South Carolina
• Sandlot is his favorite movie and Arrow is favorite TV show
• Mountains in the middle of nowhere is his dream vacation spot