March 22, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C — The seventh-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team will make its second-straight trip to Florida this week as it is set to play in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. The field will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday at the par-71, 7,114-yard Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Fla.

The Gamecocks were in Tallahassee, Fla., last week for the Seminole Intercollegiate. Carolina finished with a total of 847 (-17) to claim third place, its sixth-straight top-five finish.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Dates: Monday, March 23-Tuesday, March 24
Location: Floridian National Golf Club (Par: 71, Yards: 7,114) – Palm City, Fla.

Field: 14 teams (Florida State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Kent State, Lamar, LSU, Memphis, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA)
Carolina’s First-Round Tee Time: 9 a.m. – Shotgun Start
Tournament Notes: Valspar Invitational
Live Scoring: Golfstat

From the Coach
“I know we were very lucky to get invited,” South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said of the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. “It was started last year and immediately was a big hit, and I heard great things about it. I’m really excited about it. I’ve heard great things about the golf course. It’s a Fazio design and looks to be in immaculate condition. It should be a wonderful trip for the guys, and there’s nothing like playing the top-notch competition. It’s going to help us hopefully down the road.”

About the Valspar Collegiate Invitational
The Valspar Collegiate Invitational is held at one of the premier golf clubs in America, Floridian National Golf Club, which was redesigned by world-renowned designer Tom Fazio. This marks the second year the tournament is being contested. Georgia Tech won the inaugural event last year with a total of 837 (-15). Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans claimed medalist honors with a total of 201 (-12). The individual winner of the tournament receives an exemption to play in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.

Breaking Down the Field
The Valspar Collegiate Invitational features one of the strongest fields in collegiate golf. A total of 14 teams will compete at Floridian this week, including five teams ranked in the top 10 of the latest Golfstat Relative Rankings. The Gamecocks come in at No. 7 and have recorded six-straight top-five finishes, including four wins. Top-ranked Illinois headlines the field. The Fighting Illini have won five tournaments this season. Second-ranked Florida State will look to win its third-straight event. The Seminoles, winners of four tournaments this season, are coming off a win at the Seminole Intercollegiate. Fifth-ranked Georgia Tech, No. 10 UCLA, No. 14 LSU, No. 18 South Florida, No. 19 Oklahoma State, No. 33 Houston, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Memphis, Kent State and Lamar round out the field. The Gamecocks have a 9-2 head-to-head record against teams in the field this season.

Starke Repeats as SEC Golfer of the Week
Gamecock junior Will Starke was named SEC Men’s Golfer of the Week for the second-straight week after finishing third at the Seminole Intercollegiate. Starke carded rounds of 68 (-4), 69 (-3) and 66 (-6) to lead South Carolina to a third-place finish. His 54-hole total of 203 (-13) is tied for the fifth lowest 54-hole total in school history. Starke earned the honor for the third time in his career.

Going for Five
A win at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational would be Carolina’s fifth this season, which would be a school record. The Gamecocks claimed a one-stroke victory over rival Clemson at the Palmetto Intercollegiate with a total of 825 (-15) on March 10 to match the school record with four wins. The 1990-91 and 2008-09 Carolina teams also recorded four tournament wins.

On Pace to Smash Records
The Gamecocks are on pace to set several single-season school records. Carolina’s team scoring average is currently 282.00, which is 5.46 strokes lower than the school record of 287.46 set by last year’s squad. Junior Will Starke’s stroke average of 69.33 is 2.02 strokes lower than the school record of 71.35 held by George Bryan IV (2009-10). Starke has also tied the single-season record for top-five finishes with six with two regular-season tournaments, the SEC Championship and at least the NCAA Regionals left on the schedule.

Making it a Habit
The Gamecocks have finished in the top five in 15 of their last 18 tournaments dating back to last season, including seven tournament wins. Carolina has placed in the top five in six-straight events this season, including four wins. The Gamecocks matched the school record for top-five finishes in a single season last year with nine, including three wins.

Streaking into the Record Books
The Gamecocks became the first team in Carolina history to win three straight tournaments with their victory at the Palmetto Intercollegiate. Carolina won the Camden Collegiate Invitational to close out the fall and opened the spring with a win at the Bayou City Collegiate Championship before winning in Aiken this week.

Career Year
Junior Will Starke is playing some of the best golf of his career this season as he has finished in the top 15 in all seven events, including six top fives and a tournament win, and he won his match against Virginia’s Ji Soo Park. His six top-five finishes are tied for the most in a single season in school history with Kyle Thompson (1998-99). Starke has also shot in the 60s in 15 of his last 17 rounds, including eight-straight rounds.

Among the SEC’s Best
The Gamecocks enter the weekend ranked first in the SEC in tournament wins (4) and second in team scoring average (282.00). Carolina also two golfers in the top 10 in the SEC in scoring average, as Will Starke leads the league (69.33) and Matt NeSmith ranks fifth (71.00).

McDonald’s 13
Gamecock head coach Bill McDonald is the winningest coach by tournament victories in school history with 13. 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. Carolina opened the spring by winning the Bayou City Collegiate Championship and then won the Palmetto Intercollegiate this week.

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. 7 in the Golfstat Relative Rankings, No. 8 in the Golf Coaches Association of America Coaches Poll and No. 13 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

Keeping it Low
Five Gamecocks currently have stroke averages in the 72s or lower. Junior Will Starke leads the way with an average of 69.33, followed by junior Matt NeSmith (71.00), senior Caleb Sturgeon (72.19), senior Will Murphy (72.33) and junior Sean Kelly (72.43). 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 four golfers have done that in school history.

Gamecocks in the Golfstat Statistics Rankings
As a team South Carolina ranks third in the nation in average score (71.61) and fifth versus par (+0.31). The Gamecocks are tied for 12th in par-3 scoring (3.14), sixth in par-4 scoring (4.06) and 12th in par-5 scoring (4.75). Carolina ranks seventh in eagles (16) and 16th in subpar strokes per round (3.34). Individually, junior Will Starke ranks sixth nationally in scoring average (69.33), seventh versus par (-1.95), fifth in par-5 scoring (4.51), tied for first in eagles (7) and tied for 15th in subpar strokes per round (3.41).

Rewriting the Record Book
Seniors Caleb Sturgeon and Will Murphy and juniors Will Starke and Matt NeSmith continue to climb up South Carolina’s career scoring average list. Starke currently ranks first all-time with an average of 71.85, while NeSmith isn’t far behind in second with an average of 72.12. Sturgeon ranks fifth all-time with an average of 72.82, while Murphy is ninth with an average of 73.19. Starke also has 11 career top-five finishes, which is tied for the third most all-time at Carolina with George Bryan IV (2006-10). 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 150 in the latest Golfweek/Amateurgolf.com World Player Rankings. Murphy is No. 11 in the world and No. 4 in the U.S., while NeSmith is No. 126 in the world and No. 56 in the U.S. In the Scratch Players World Amateur Rankings, Murphy is ranked No. 48, and NeSmith is No. 80. Junior Will Starke is ranked No. 94.