March 9, 2016

NORMAN, Okla. — University of South Carolina Men’s Golf senior Will Starke was named to the nominee list for the 2016 Byron Nelson Award, it was announced today. Starke is one of 10 players eligible for the award, given annually to a graduating senior who excels not only on the golf course but also in the classroom and community.

A native of Chapin, S.C., Starke earned All-America honors from PING and Golfweek in 2015 in addition to garnering All-America Scholar laurels from Cleveland Golf/Srixon. He’s a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection and a two-time individual tournament medalist.

Starke holds a scoring average of 73.33 through five tournaments this season, and his 72.01 career scoring average ranks second in Gamecock history. The senior posted his best performance of the season at Carolina’s last tournament, the Palmetto Intercollegiate. Starke finished third individually at Palmetto with a season-best score of 205 (-5) and led the Gamecocks to an 18-stroke victory in the team competition.

The Byron Nelson Award is given annually by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Starke is joined on the nominee list by Clemson’s Stephen Behr, Jr., Colorado State’s Dominic Kieffer, UNLV’s AJ McInerney, Oklahoma State’s Jordan Niebrugge, Michigan’s Chris O’Niell, Washington’s Jordan Sanders, Louisville’s Robin Sciot-Siegrist and the Illinois duo of Charlie Danielson and Alex Burge.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina will compete at the General Hackler Championship this weekend in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Coastal Carolina hosts the event, which will be held March 12-13.