Sept. 9, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina men’s golf team is ranked No. 5 in the Golf Channel’s College Preview of the top 10 men’s programs, the Golf Channel announced Tuesday on its Golf Central Blog.

The Gamecocks had one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2013-14. Carolina finished ninth at the NCAA Championship, the second-best finish at the event in program history, and matched a school record with nine top-five finishes in 12 events, including three tournament wins.

In his eighth season as the Gamecocks’ head coach, Bill McDonald has all five golfers back from last year’s postseason run in seniors Will Murphy and Caleb Sturgeon, juniors Matt NeSmith and Will Starke and sophomore Ben Dietrich. Junior Sean Kelly is also back after sitting out last year to recover from an injury, giving the Gamecocks six golfers with NCAA Championship experience.

South Carolina has had a strong start to the 2014-15 season. After finishing sixth at The Carmel Cup to open the year, the Gamecocks claimed the Carpet Capital Collegiate title against one of the toughest fields in collegiate golf with a 54-hole total of 848 (-16). Click HERE to read the Golf Central Blog’s preview.

Golf Channel’s College Preview Top 10
1. Oklahoma State
2. Texas
3. Illinois
4. Alabama
5. South Carolina
6. Georgia
7. Vanderbilt
8. Georgia Tech
9. UCLA
10. Texas A&M