Feb. 19, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The ninth-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team opens its spring schedule this weekend at the Bayou City Collegiate Championship in Humble, Texas. The 54-hole event runs Friday through Sunday at the par-72, 6,982-yard Golf Club of Houston, the host of the PGA Tour’s Shell Houston Open.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Dates: Friday, Feb. 20-Sunday, Feb. 22
Location: Golf Club of Houston (Par: 72, Yards: 6,982) – Humble, Texas

Field: 15 teams (Arkansas, Baylor, Charlotte, Houston, Lamar, Louisiana, McNeese State, New Mexico State, Northern Illinois, Rice, Sam Houston State, South Carolina, Southeastern Louisiana, Troy, UTSA)
Carolina’s First-Round Tee Time: 10 a.m. ET (First Tee)
Live Scoring: Golfstat
Tournament Notes

From the Coach
“It’s the third year we’ve played in this event and it’s really a treat for the guys,” South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. “It’s about a month out before the PGA Tour event, so they’ve got a lot of the tournament preparations going on. The golf course is wall-to-wall rye (grass) and just in incredible shape. It’s just a great event to start our spring and is a really good test, a good golf course and plenty long.”

History at the Bayou City Collegiate Championship
This year marks the third playing of the Bayou City Collegiate Championship. The Gamecocks played at the event in 2013 and 2014, finishing third each time. Caleb Sturgeon and Will Murphy hold the distinction of having the best individual finish by a Gamecock at the tournament as they finished tied for eighth in 2013 with a total of 214 (-2).

Last Time at the BCCC – Feb. 21-23, 2014
The Gamecocks claimed third place at last year’s Bayou City Collegiate Championship after posting a 54-hole total of 851 (-13). Houston claimed first with a total of 833 (-31), while Texas finished second (841). Matt NeSmith, Will Murphy and Blaine Woodruff all tied for 21st for Carolina with a total of 215 (-1).

Breaking Down the Field
A total of 15 teams will be competing for the Bayou City Collegiate Championship title this weekend. Carolina (No. 9) and Baylor (No. 8) are the only two teams ranked in the top 25 in the latest Golfstat Relative Rankings. The Bears have finished in the top three in five of their six events this season, including a pair of wins. Co-host Houston (No. 30) and Arkansas (No. 38) enter the weekend in the top 50. Charlotte, Lamar, Louisiana, McNeese State, New Mexico State, Northern Illinois, co-host Rice, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Troy and UTSA round out the field. The Gamecocks have only competed against one team this season in this week’s field, Arkansas. Carolina recorded a head-to-head win over the Razorbacks with a sixth-place finish at The Carmel Cup, one spot ahead of Arkansas.

Making it a Habit
The Gamecocks have finished in the top five in 12 of their last 15 tournaments dating back to last season, including five tournament wins. Carolina matched the school record for top-five finishes in a single season last year with nine, including three wins.

McDonald’s 11
Gamecock head coach Bill McDonald is the winningest coach by tournament victories in school history with 11. McDonald broke the previous record of nine held by Puggy Blackmon (1995-2007) with Carolina’s win at the Carpet Capital Collegiate this fall. The Gamecocks then gave McDonald his 11th tournament title with a win at the Camden Collegiate Invitational to close out the fall.

A Top 25 Program
Under the guidance of head coach Bill McDonald, South Carolina has consistently been ranked in the top 25 of several polls the last two years. The Gamecocks ended last year ranked No. 14 in the final Golfstat Rankings, No. 21 in the final regular-season Golf World/Nike Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the Golfweek Rankings. Carolina is currently ranked No. 9 in the Golfstat Relative Rankings, No. 13 in the Golf Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

Spring Forward
Carolina’s last win to open its spring schedule was a 27-stroke victory at the 2004 Mercedes-Benz Collegiate at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The Gamecocks have come close to ending the winless streak to open the spring, finishing third each of the last three years, twice at the Bayou City Collegiate Championship and once at the Seahawk Intercollegiate, and runner-up at the 2010 Seahawk Intercollegiate.

Lowering the Averages
Four Gamecocks wrapped up the fall with a stroke average in the 72s. Junior Will Starke led the way with an average of 70, followed by junior Matt NeSmith (71) and seniors Caleb Sturgeon (72.33) and Will Murphy (72.33). Starke and NeSmith rank second and third, respectively, in the SEC in stroke average. Last season Starke, NeSmith, Murphy and Sturgeon wrapped up the year with a stroke average in the 72s, which is the first time of record that has happened in school history.

Hot Streak
Junior Will Starke played some of the best golf of his career in the fall as he has finished in the top 15 in all four events, including three top fives, and won his match against Virginia’s Ji Soo Park. Starke has shot below 70 in seven of his last eight rounds and has only carded two rounds above par this season (73-73).

Gamecocks in the Golfstat Statistics Rankings
As a team South Carolina ranks 10th in the nation in average score (72.00) and 12th versus par (+0.71). The Gamecocks are 11th in par-4 scoring (4.07) and tied for 15th in eagles (10). Junior Will Starke is tied for 17th nationally in average score (70), ranks 11th in par-4 scoring (4.51) and is tied for 13th in eagles (4).

Climbing the Record Book
Senior Caleb Sturgeon and juniors Will Starke and Matt NeSmith continue to climb up South Carolina’s career scoring average list. NeSmith currently ranks first all-time with an average of 72.24, while Starke isn’t far behind in second with an average of 72.32. Sturgeon ranks fifth all-time with an average of 72.98. Starke also has eight career top-five finishes, which is tied for the fifth most all-time at South Carolina with Eric Ecker (1996-2000). NeSmith is tied for the seventh most career top-five finishes with seven.

Among the Best in the World
South Carolina senior Will Murphy and junior Matt NeSmith are ranked in the top 100 in the latest Golfweek/Amateurgolf.com World Player Rankings. Murphy is No. 8 in the world and No. 3 in the U.S., while NeSmith is No. 116 in the world and No. 50 in the U.S. In the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings, Murphy is ranked No. 43, and NeSmith is No. 72.