Sept. 20, 2014

Results

KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. — The South Carolina men’s golf team shot a 2-over 286 (+2) on Saturday at The Golf Club of Tennessee to move one spot up the leaderboard and finish in fourth place in the DICK’S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup.

The Gamecocks, whose round was tied for the second lowest of the day, wrapped up the stroke play portion of the tournament with a 54-hole total of 859 (+7). Georgia Tech won the tournament title with a total of 848 (-4), followed by Vanderbilt with a total of 849 (-3) and Virginia with a total of 853 (+1). Carolina will face the Cavaliers on Sunday in match play. The conference (SEC or ACC) with the most points at the end of match play will be declared the winner of the Conference Challenge.

Junior Will Starke had a stellar tournament, finishing second with a total of 206 (-7) after shooting a 69 (-2) on Saturday. Starke came up one stroke shy of first, as Georgia’s Lee McCoy won medalist honors with a total of 205 (-8).

Gamecock junior Matt NeSmith fired a bogey-free 67 (-4) to climb nine spots up the leaderboard to finish tied for fourth with a total of 209 (-4). Senior Will Murphy tied for 23rd with a total of 219 (+6) after carding a 73 (+2) on Saturday. Senior Caleb Sturgeon turned in a final-round 77 (+6) finished 45th with a total of 226 (+13), and sophomore Ben Dietrich tied for 46th with a total of 227 (+14) after shooting a 77 (+6).

Round Changer
NeSmith led the way with a 4-under 67, recording four birdies and no bogeys on the afternoon.

Key Stat
NeSmith recorded just two bogeys and a double bogey in 54-holes of play.

Notables
• The top-five finish is the seventh career top-five finish for both Starke and NeSmith, which moves them into a tie for sixth all-time at South Carolina.
• It’s also NeSmith’s 12th top-10 finish, moving him into a tie for seventh in the category in school history.
• Eight of Starke’s nine rounds this season have been par or better.
• The Gamecocks round of 286 (+2) was tied for the second lowest of the day.
• As a team Carolina finished second in par-5 scoring (4.80, -12) and second in birdies (51).
• Starke led the tournament in par-5 scoring (4.33, -8), while Murphy (4.58, -5) and NeSmith (4.58, -5) finished tied for fifth.
• Starke had the most birdies of any player in the field (15), while NeSmith recorded the most pars (43).

Quotable
South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald
“We made a nice run today and gave ourselves a chance to win. A couple of guys faltered coming in and we lost a few shots, but overall I thought we looked better today. It’s a solid finish against a great field. Both Will Starke and Matt NeSmith really played some great golf this week. Their performances were very impressive.”

On facing Virginia in match play on Sunday
“We are looking forward to playing Virginia tomorrow. They have a very talented team, and we will have our work cut out for us. This format and atmosphere is great for college golf.”

Up Next
The Gamecocks will face Virginia in match play on Sunday at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup. The conference (SEC or ACC) with the most points at the end of match play will be declared the winner of the Conference Challenge. Live scoring will be available through Golfstat.

South Carolina Results2. Will Starke (1)       69-68-69=206 (-7)T4. Matt NeSmith (3)        70-72-67=209 (-4)T23. Will Murphy (2)     73-73-73=219 (+6)45. Caleb Sturgeon (5)        74-75-77=226 (+13)T46. Ben Dietrich (4)       76-74-77=227 (+14)
Final Team Standings1. Georgia Tech         290-272-286=848 (-4)2. Vanderbilt           280-284-285=849 (-3)3. Virginia         286-282-285=853 (+1)4. South Carolina        286-287-286=859 (+7)5. Georgia          292-280-289=861 (+9)6. Louisville           298-284-286=868 (+16)7. Clemson          289-285-297=871 (+19)8. Mississippi          295-290-291=876 (+24)9. North Carolina State     292-302-288=882 (+30)10. Texas A&M           295-283-307=885 (+33)11. Duke            296-287-304=887 (+35)12. Missouri            295-301-295=891 (+39)