Sept. 15, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina seniors Matt NeSmith and Will Starke have been named to Golfweek’s Preseason All-American teams, Golfweek announced Tuesday.

NeSmith was one of 10 golfers to earn a spot on the first team, while Starke garnered third-team honors. Golfweek’s Lance Ringler selected the teams.

A native of North Augusta, S.C., NeSmith finished last season with a stroke average of 70.51, which ranks second in program history for a single season. He earned third-team All-America honors by both PING and Golfweek and was a first-team PING All-Southeast Region and All-SEC selection. He finished in the top 20 in eight of 12 tournaments, including two tournament wins. He became just the second Gamecock to win an SEC title as he claimed a six-stroke victory at the SEC Championship with a school-record 54-hole total of 196 (-14).

A native of Chapin, S.C., Starke led the team with a stroke average of 70.27 in 2014-15, which is the lowest for a single season in school history. He garnered second-team All-America honors by both PING and Golfweek and was a first-team PING All-Southeast Region and All-SEC selection. He finished 16th or better in 10 of 12 events, including one tournament win, and matched the school record for top-five finishes in a season with six. He placed 16th at the NCAA Championship with a 72-hole total of 289 (+1).

The Gamecocks opened the 2015-16 season over the weekend with a third-place finish at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. NeSmith tied for seventh at the event, while Starke finished tied for 47th. Carolina will be back in action on Sept. 28-29 at the Shoal Creek Invitational. The 54-hole event will be contested at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.

GOLFWEEK’S PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
(SELECTED BY LANCE RINGLER)
FIRST TEAM
Maverick McNealy Stanford, Junior
Jon Rahm Arizona State, Senior
Bryson DeChambeau SMU, Senior
Lee McCoy Georgia, Senior
Robby Shelton Alabama, Junior
Thomas Detry Illinois, Senior
Jack Maguire Florida State, Junior
Beau Hossler Texas, Junior
Charlie Danielson Illinois, Senior
Matt NeSmith South Carolina, Senior

SECOND TEAM
Sam Burns LSU, Freshman
Max Rottluff Arizona State, Senior
Hank Lebioda Florida State, Senior
Jonathan Garrick UCLA, Senior
Scottie Scheffler Texas, Sophomore
Will Zalatoris Wake Forest, Sophomore
Sean Crocker USC, Sophomore
Matthias Schwab Vanderbilt, Junior
Ben Griffin North Carolina, Sophomore
Jordan Niebrugge Oklahoma State, Senior

THIRD TEAM
Will Starke South Carolina, Senior
Zach Seabolt Winthrop, Junior
Brandon Pierce LSU, Junior
Adrian Meronk East Tennessee State, Senior
Rowin Caron Florida State, Senior
Gavin Hall Texas, Junior
Rico Hoey USC, Junior
Chase Koepka South Florida, Senior
Aaron Wise Oregon, Sophomore
Sam Horsfield Florida, Freshman