Men's Golf . March 24, 2014

Gamecocks Tied for Second After Two Rounds at Hootie at Bulls Bay

March 24, 2014

AWENDAW, S.C. — The South Carolina men’s golf team is in contention for its fourth tournament title of the season as it is just one stroke back of the lead at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate after shooting a second-round 298 (+10) at Bulls Bay Golf Club on Monday.

The Gamecocks finished the day in a three-way tie for second with Auburn and College of Charleston with a two-round total of 579 (+3). Virginia holds the 36-hole lead with a total of 578 (+2) after shooting a 295 (+7) in the second round. With windy conditions on Monday, the scoring average rose from 73.09 for the first round to 77.23 for the second round.

“The guys fought hard today, and the golf course was really difficult in the windy conditions,” South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. “Will Murphy and Will Starke played very well and kept us in contention going into tomorrow. Overall I thought we lost our patience at times and played too aggressively in some spots. The final round looks to be a battle, and if we play a little smarter, I think we will do well.”

Three Gamecocks are in position for top-10 finishes, as Murphy is tied for fourth with a total of 143 (-1) and Starke and freshman Ben Dietrich are tied for ninth with a total of 144 (E).

Murphy led the way on Monday with a 2-under 70, which included five birdies and three bogeys. He went to the 16th tee at even par but birdied two out of his last three holes to head into the clubhouse at 2-under. Murphy is just two strokes back of College of Charleston’s Zach Munroe and USC Aiken’s Brandon Robinson-Thompson for the tournament lead at 3-under.

Starke, who is in contention for his fifth top-five finish of the season, carded a 1-over 73. A native of Chapin, S.C., Starke recorded three birdies and four bogeys on the afternoon.

After finishing tied for the lead with a career-low 68 on Sunday, Dietrich turned on a 76 (+4) on Monday, including two birdies and six bogeys.

Sophomore Matt NeSmith will enter the final round in a tie for 33rd with a total of 150 (+6) after shooting an 80 (+8) on Monday, while junior Caleb Sturgeon is tied for 38th with a total of 151 (+7), including a second-round 79 (+7).

The Gamecocks will be paired with Auburn and Virginia for the final round on Tuesday and will tee off at 9:50 a.m. Live scoring will be available at golfstatresults.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTST4. Will Murphy (3)      73-70=143 (-1)T9. Will Starke (1)      71-73=144 (E)T9. Ben Dietrich (5)        68-76=144 (E)T33. Matt NeSmith (2)           70-80=150 (+6)T38. Caleb Sturgeon (4)       72-79=151 (+7)
TEAM STANDINGS1. Virginia             283-295=578 (+2)T2. Auburn          285-294=579 (+3)T2. South Carolina       281-298=579 (+3)T2. College of Charleston   282-297=579 (+3)5. Wake Forest          282-299=581 (+5)6. Missouri             281-303=584 (+8)T7. North Carolina State    287-306=593 (+17)T7. Kentucky            283-310=593 (+17)9. Charleston Southern      290-309=599 (+23)T10. GRU Augusta        297-307=604 (+28)T10. S. Carolina-Aiken      297-307=604 (+28)T12. Duke           298-310=608 (+32)T12. Wisconsin          293-315=608 (+32)14. North Carolina      294-316=610 (+34)15. Akron           303-309=612 (+36)