March 26, 2013

Results

AWENDAW, S.C. — The South Carolina men’s golf team claimed ninth place at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate after wrapping up the tournament with 54-hole total of 905 (+41) on Tuesday at Bulls Bay Golf Club.

The Gamecocks took to the course early Tuesday morning to finish the second round, which was suspended on Monday due to darkness. Carolina completed the round with a total of 298 (+10) and then immediately began play in the third round on its way to posting a 291 (+3), which was the sixth lowest round of the afternoon. The Gamecocks finished three strokes ahead of rival Clemson (908).

“The team played well today, and I’m proud of how well they responded to our struggles yesterday,” South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. “Conditions were tough this week, and hopefully we will learn how to deal with such situations and be better for it going forward.”

South Carolina freshman Matt NeSmith earned his third straight top-10 finish as he finished his second round with a 72 (E) and fired a final-round 70 (-2) to tie for seventh with a total of 219 (+3). A native of North Augusta, S.C., NeSmith recorded four birdies, two bogeys and 12 pars in the final round. He has now finished tied for 10th, tied for third and tied for seventh in his last three tournaments.

Senior Dykes Harbin came up two strokes shy of a top-20 finish. Harbin turned in a 77 (+5) in the second round and carded a 1-under 71 in the final round to finish in a tie for 27th with a total of 225 (+9).

Junior Caulder Moore was the next Gamecock on the leaderboard. Moore closed out the tournament with rounds of 74 (+2) and 75 (+3) to tie for 43rd with a total of 229 (+13).

Sophomores Will Murphy and Caleb Sturgeon concluded the week tied for 58th and 67th, respectively. Murphy finished off the second round with a 75 (+3) and shot a 76 (+4) to close out the event with a total of 233 (+17). Sturgeon turned in an 80 (+8) in the second round before bouncing back with a 75 (+3) in the final round to give him a total of 238 (+22) for the tournament.

Eleventh-ranked Duke carded a final-round 284 (-4) to win the title with a total of 874 (+10). The Blue Devils finished three shots ahead of North Carolina State (877). Wake Forest captured third with a total of 884 (+20), followed by Missouri (888) and LSU (889). North Carolina State’s Logan Harrell won medalist honors with a total of 213 (-3).

The Gamecocks will return to action on April 6 in the Augusta State Invitational. The 54-hole event will be contested over two days at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTST7. Matt NeSmith (3)        77-72-70=219 (+3)T27. Dykes Harbin (1)       77-77-71=225 (+9)T43. Caulder Moore (5)     80-74-75=229 (+13)T58. Will Murphy (4)     82-75-76=233 (+17)T67. Caleb Sturgeon (2)       83-80-75=238 (+22)
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS1. Duke             302-288-284=874 (+10)2. North Carolina State     301-293-283=877 (+13)3. Wake Forest          311-291-282=884 (+20)4. Missouri             303-285-300=888 (+24)5. LSU              304-285-300=889 (+25)6. Texas A&M            302-298-290=890 (+26)7. North Carolina       302-297-292=891 (+27)8. Auburn           307-298-291=896 (+32)9. South Carolina        316-298-291=905 (+41)T10. Clemson            307-302-299=908 (+44)T10. Kentucky           312-300-296=908 (+44)12. Augusta State       316-298-295=909 (+45)13. College of Charleston   318-305-288=911 (+47)14. Virginia            315-299-306=920 (+56)15. Wisconsin           306-314-304=924 (+60)