Gamecock Tied for 11th at SEC Championship

April 16, 2016

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2016 SEC CHAMPIONSHIP
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GAMECOCK SCORECARDS

Will Starke
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 78
Round 3:
To Par: +13
Place: T63rd

Matt NeSmith
Round 1: 70
Round 2: 75
Round 3:
To Par: +5
Place: T26th

Scott Stevens
Round 1: 74
Round 2: 76
Round 3:
To Par: +10
Place: T47th

Keenan Huskey
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 75
Round 3:
To Par: +10
Place: T47th

Sean Kelly
Round 1: 73
Round 2: 68
Round 3:
To Par: +1
Place: T9th

Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	Total
1.	Kentucky	277	289		566 (+6)
2.	Georgia	277	291		568 (+8)
3.	Texas A&M	287	283		570 (+10)
4.	Arkansas	288	283		571 (+11)
5.	Auburn	291	283		574 (+14)
6.	Florida	285	290		575 (+15)
7.	Tennessee	286	292		578 (+15)
T8.	LSU	294	286		580 (+20)
T8.	Vanderbilt	286	294		580 (+20)
10.	Missouri	289	292		581 (+21)
T11.	South Carolina	292	294		586 (+26)
T11.	Alabama	294	292		586 (+26)
13.	Mississippi	301	298		599 (+39)
14.	Mississippi State	304	298		602 (+42)

Dates: April 15-17

Location: St. Simons Island, Ga.

Course: Sea Island Golf Club

Par: 70

Yards: 7,005

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — The University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team continued their weekend at the 2016 SEC Championship, shooting a round of 294 (+14) on Saturday. With 18 holes left at Sea Island Golf Club, the Gamecocks are tied for 11th, at 586 (+26).

Kentucky continues to lead the tournament through two days, with a cumulative score of 566 (+6). Georgia (568, +8) is two strokes back, with Texas A&M (570, +10) four shots off the pace and Arkansas (571, +11) only five behind the Wildcats. The Aggies, Razorbacks and Auburn each shot 283 (+3) on Saturday, tops among the 14 teams at Sea Island.

Individually, Georgia’s Lee McCoy paces the field, with a two-day total of 138 (-2). Auburn’s Matt Gilchrest is the only other player under par, at 139 (-1) with 18 holes left to play.

Senior Sean Kelly leads the Gamecocks through two days and is tied for ninth, at 141 (+1). The Staten Island, N.Y., native was one of only seven individuals to break par on Saturday as howling winds once again made life difficult for all 14 teams.

Kelly did not record a birdie on Friday en route to a 73 (+3), but he made up for it on Saturday, tallying birdie on three of the first seven holes in his round of 68 (-2). The round was his best since posting a 65 at the Camden Collegiate Invitational in October and his first sub-70 effort of the spring. Dating back to the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate earlier this month, the senior has finished at par or better in four of his last five rounds.

2015 SEC Championship medalist Matt NeSmith shot 75 (+5) on Saturday and is tied for 26th overall, at 145 (+5). The senior carded a birdie on the par-3 17th after hitting his tee shot inside of two feet.

Keenan Huskey is tied for 47th with one round left after shooting a 75 (+5) on Saturday. For the tournament, his score is 150 (+10). The sophomore made two birdies in his second round at Sea Island, on the par-3 12th and the par-5 15th.

Even with Huskey in a tie for 47th is Scott Stevens. The freshman sits at 150 (+10) after shooting a round of 76 (+6) on Saturday. Stevens came up with three birdies on Saturday, second-most on the team.

Senior Will Starke heads into Sunday’s round tied for 63rd, at 153 (+13). His round of 78 (+8) on Saturday included a pair of birdies, and he was the lone Gamecock to start his second round with a 3 on the par-4 10th hole.

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

“We’re going to come out tomorrow and try to win the day, be the low team of the day, and you never know. These guys can shoot some really low scores. Maybe we can post a really good round tomorrow and move up the leaderboard.”

Round Changer

Kelly made four birdies on the day and shot up 22 places on the individual leaderboard. The senior is looking to cap a memorable April that has already seen him earn Mackenzie Tour status and finish in the top-10 at the Hootie.

Notable

Kelly is in range of his best career finish at the SEC Championship. His previous top result at the conference tournament was a tie for 23rd in 2013.
The senior is looking for his fifth career top-10 finish.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

South Carolina will once again tee off at 9 a.m. on Sunday, with the round beginning on the 10th hole. The Gamecocks will be paired with Missouri and Alabama, and live scoring is available through Golfstat.com.