Sept. 28, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The South Carolina men’s golf team began play at the Shoal Creek Invitational on Monday, posting a combined score of 582 (293-289) in the opening two rounds to finish the day in a tie for second place at 6-over.

Senior Matt NeSmith (73-70=143) and freshman Scott Stevens (71-73=144) both turned in strong performances on the first day of the 54-hole tournament. NeSmith (T4, 1-under) displayed steady play throughout the day, and he opened the tournament with 15 pars in round one. He tallied three birdies and one bogey in the afternoon, as the North Augusta, S.C., native moved up the leaderboard after carding a 2-under in the second round.

Stevens (T7, 1-over) recorded his first birdie in the opening round on the par-4 10th before adding birdies on Nos. 14 and 17. His final birdie of the day came on hole No. 5 during the second round, and the Chattanooga, Tenn., native finished with 28 pars through two rounds.

Keenan Huskey (T21, 3-over) concluded day one with a score of 147 (75-72). The sophomore struggled early in round one, recording double bogeys on two of his first four holes, but he finished 2-under on his final seven holes to finish the morning at 3-over. Four more birdies in the second round gave him an even round of 72 for the afternoon.

Redshirt senior Sean Kelly, who currently sits in a tie for 25th place at 4-over, posted a score of 148 (74-74). He recorded bogeys on three of his first seven holes before registering a birdie on No. 2 to finish round one at 2-over. The Staten Island, N.Y., native notched three birdies in the afternoon on his way to another 2-over performance.

Freshman Ryan Stachler (T42) finished at 8-over after carding a total of 152 (75-77). He opened the tournament with an up-and-down 18 holes that featured seven bogeys and four birdies before registering four more birdies in round two.

Tournament host UAB (1-under) sits atop the leaderboard through two rounds. The Gamecocks, North Florida and College of Charleston head into the final day seven strokes back, while GRU Augusta (7-over) rounds out the top five. UAB’s Lee Hodges (4-under) and Taylor Eyster (3-under) and North Florida’s Austin Padova (2-under) posted the top three individual scores on Monday.

Round Changer

NeSmith’s 2-under (70) on Monday afternoon helped push the Gamecocks up the leaderboard in the second round. He birdied Nos. 14, 17 and 1 and recorded just one bogey over his final 18 holes of the day.

Notable

• NeSmith finished Monday as one of just seven golfers under par through two rounds.
• The Gamecocks currently rank second in the field in total pars (118) and total birdies (28).
• South Carolina’s par-4 scoring average of 4.14 (+14) is good for the third-best mark in the tournament.
• NeSmith’s 29 pars through two rounds is tied for the most in the field.

Up Next

The Gamecocks are back in action on Tuesday morning for the final round of the Shoal Creek Invitational.