March 13, 2016

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team faced one of the toughest fields in the nation and emerged victorious on Sunday afternoon as they captured the team title at the General Hackler Championship. Their score of 841 (-23) was seven strokes clear of Virginia, while senior Matt NeSmith tied for medalist honors.

Both Carolina as a team and NeSmith individually are tournament champions for the second time in a week after both stood tall at the Palmetto Intercollegiate, held March 7-8. The Gamecocks entered the day with a three-stroke lead and shot 281 (-7) on Sunday to win the tournament, their third victory of the season.

NeSmith entered the day four shots off the pace individually but fired Carolina’s round of the day, a 67 (-5) to match Virginia’s Jimmy Stanger at 207 (-9). The medalist honor is the second of the season for the North Augusta, S.C., native and the fourth of his Gamecock career.

The tournament victory is the 17th in head coach Bill McDonald’s Gamecock career, which is a school record. The Gamecocks, ranked 19th in the nation according to Golfstat, have won back-to-back team titles for just the fourth time since 1987-88 and the first time since capturing three straight events last season.

NeSmith was on fire to start the round, with birdies on his first two holes and a front-nine score of 33 (-3). He added three more birdies on the back nine, including a birdie on the 54th hole of the tournament that proved crucial to his medalist hopes.

This is the second straight event that a birdie on the last hole of the tournament has secured a medalist award for NeSmith. He also birdied the last hole at the Palmetto Intercollegiate to win his first individual tournament of the season.

Freshman Scott Stevens shot 72 (E) on Sunday and finished tied for ninth individually, at 213 (-3). Stevens got off to a rocky start and was 3-over through five holes, but he went bogey-free for the rest of the round. The top-10 finish is the third this season for the Chattanooga, Tenn., native.

Will Starke shot 71 (-1) on Sunday and ended the tournament tied for 15th, at 215 (-1). The senior played a steady round on Sunday, with two birdies and one bogey. The top-20 finish is the second in as many tournaments for Starke after he placed third at the Palmetto Intercollegiate earlier this week.

Sophomore Keenan Huskey also tied for 15th with a total score of 215 (-1). Huskey shot 71 (-1) to close the tournament. His round featured four birdies, including three in a four-hole stretch starting at the par-3 12th.

Will Miles finished the tournament tied for 31st, with a cumulative score of 218 (+2). The freshman shot 79 (+7) on Sunday in his last round of the event.

Senior Sean Kelly played as an individual at the General Hackler and came in a tie for 47th. Kelly shot his best round of the tournament Sunday, a 73 (+1) that included three birdies. His final score was 223 (+7).

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

Round Changer

Notable

• Carolina’s 54-hole total of 841 ranks second in General Hackler history, trailing only Lamar’s 837 from 2007.
• This is the first time the Gamecocks have won the General Hackler. They finished sixth at the event in 2004 and ninth in 2009.
• NeSmith finished with 16 birdies for the tournament, second-most in the field. Six of the senior’s last seven rounds have been in the 60s.
• NeSmith is the first Gamecock on record to win two medalist honors in the span of a week.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

The Gamecocks are back in action March 21-22, when they compete at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. The tournament will be held at The Floridian in Palm City, Fla.