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March 9, 2015

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AIKEN, S.C — The eighth-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team is in contention to win its fourth tournament title of the season after shooting rounds of 270 (-10) and 276 (-4) to take the 36-hole lead at the Palmetto Intercollegiate on Monday at the historic Palmetto Golf Club.

The Gamecocks, whose opening round is the fifth lowest in school history, hold a one-shot lead over rival Clemson with a total of 546 (-14). The Tigers turned in rounds of 282 (+2) and 265 (-15).

Virginia is in third place with a total of 552 (-8). Kennesaw State is in fourth with a total of 558 (-2), followed by GRU Augusta (559) and Idaho (559).

Gamecock junior Will Starke continued his hot streak, firing a 5-under 65 in the opening round and following it up with a 69 (-1) in the second round. Starke, who has now shot in the 60s in 11 of his last 13 rounds, is tied for third with a total of 134 (-6) and is two shots off the lead. Georgia Southern’s Scott Wolfes sits alone at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 132 (-8).

Senior Caleb Sturgeon is four strokes back of Wolfes in a tie for 10th with a total of 136 (-4). Sturgeon opened his day with an even-par 70 and then carded a 4-under 66 in the afternoon.

Junior Matt NeSmith is also in position for a top-20 finish as he is in a tie for 20th with a total of 139 (-1) after turning in rounds of 67 (-3) and 72 (+2).

Senior Will Murphy shot an opening-round 68 and followed with a 74 in the second round. Murphy finished the day in a tie for 36th with a total of 142 (+2). Junior Sean Kelly bounced back from a first-round 75 to shoot a 1-under 69 in the second round to finish the day in a tie for 46th with a total of 144 (+4).

Round Changer
Starke and Sturgeon combined for four rounds of par or better to help the Gamecocks take the 36-hole lead. Starke shot rounds of 65 and 69, while Sturgeon posted a 70 and a 66.

Key Stat
The back-nine was a key stretch for the Gamecocks on Monday, as they played it at 13-under as a team.

Notable
• A win on Tuesday would be the team’s fourth tournament victory this season, which would match the school record set by the 1990-91 and 2008-09 squads.
• A win would also be Carolina’s third straight, which would be a school record.
• With a 65 and 69 on Tuesday, Starke has now shot in the 60s in 11 of his last 13 rounds.
• Murphy recorded an eagle on the par-5 14th.
• Carolina leads the tournament in par-3 scoring with an average of 2.98, playing the par-3s at 1-under on the day.
• Individually, Starke leads the field in par-3 scoring with an average of 2.50 as he played the par-3s at 4-under. He birdied three of the four par-3s during the second round.

Quotable
South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald

“It was a good day for us overall. I thought the guys were focused and sharp for most of the 36 holes. Tomorrow should be exciting and a great competitive environment for college golf. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

Up Next
Final-round play is slated to begin on Tuesday with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. Carolina will be paired with Clemson and Virginia. Live scoring will be available at golfstatresults.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
Pos. Name R1 R2 Total To Par
T3. Will Starke 65 69 134 -6
T10. Caleb Sturgeon 70 66 136 -4
T20. Matt NeSmith 67 72 139 -1
T36. Will Murphy 68 74 142 +2
T46. Sean Kelly 75 69 144 +4
TEAM STANDINGS
Pos. Team R1 R2 Total To Par
1. South Carolina 270 276 546 -14
2. Clemson 282 265 547 -13
3. Virginia 276 276 552 -8
4. Kennesaw State 278 279 557 -3
T5. GRU Augusta 278 281 559 -1
T5. Idaho 278 281 559 -1
7. Furman 281 279 560 E
T8. Georgia Southern 285 279 564 +4
T8. Liberty 286 278 564 +4
10. Wofford 282 284 566 +6
11. Maryland 289 280 569 +9
12. Presbyterian 291 282 573 +13
13. Wisconsin 286 288 574 +14
T14. USC Aiken 288 288 576 +16
T14. Loyola (Md.) 295 281 576 +16
16. Francis Marion 287 293 580 +20
17. Elon 293 292 585 +25
18. Western Carolina 298 294 592 +32