March 9, 2015

Results

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.