Gamecocks Hold Steady in Second at NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional

May 17, 2016

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2016 NCAA TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
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GAMECOCK SCORECARDS

Sean Kelly
Round 1: 71
Round 2: 72
Round 3:
To Par: -1
Place: T9th

Matt NeSmith
Round 1: 70
Round 2: 70
Round 3:
To Par: -4
Place: 4th

Will Starke
Round 1: 73
Round 2: 72
Round 3:
To Par: +1
Place: T14th

Keenan Huskey
Round 1: 73
Round 2: 68
Round 3:
To Par: -3
Place: T5th

Scott Stevens
Round 1: 74
Round 2: 77
Round 3:
To Par: +7
Place: T38th

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Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	Total
1.	Georgia	284	282		566 (-10)
2.	South Carolina	287	282		569 (-7)
3.	Kentucky	288	287		575 (-1)
4.	Alabama	292	284		576 (E)
5.	Auburn	294	290		584 (+8)
T6.	College of Charleston	298	295		593 (+17)
T6.	UNLV	290	303		593 (+17)
T8.	Lipscomb	302	300		602 (+26)
T8.	Colorado	296	306		602 (+26)
10.	Kansas	308	301		609 (+33)
11.	Harvard	323	298		621 (+45)
12.	Southern Illinois	314	308		622 (+46)
13.	Charleston Southern	315	310		625 (+49)

Dates: May 16-18

Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Course: Ol’ Colony Golf Complex

Par: 72

Yards: 7,514

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — More solid play from the University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team on Tuesday put the Gamecocks in prime position to advance at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Carolina shot 282 (-6) and continues to hold second position with a two-round score of 569 (-7).

The top five teams will advance out of Tuscaloosa and into the NCAA Championship, which begins May 27 in Eugene, Ore. South Carolina sits 24 strokes ahead of the cut line with 18 holes remaining at Ol’ Colony Golf Complex.

Georgia continues to lead the Tuscaloosa Regional after they matched South Carolina’s 282 (-6) on Tuesday. The Bulldogs head the leaderboard by three strokes with a score of 566 (-10).

All five teams in advancing positions in Tuscaloosa hail from the SEC. Trailing Georgia and South Carolina are Kentucky (575, -1), host Alabama (576, E) and Auburn (584, +8). College of Charleston and UNLV are tied for sixth and on the outside looking in with 18 holes left, as both sit at 593 (+17) through two days.

South Carolina senior Matt NeSmith leads the Gamecocks at 140 (-4) through two rounds. The North Augusta, S.C., native is in fourth place and just one shot off the lead. He trails a trio of leaders at 139 (-5): Tyler McDaniel of Kentucky and Georgia teammates Zach Healy and Greyson Sigg.

NeSmith shot 70 (-2) on Tuesday and spent a portion of the afternoon holding a share of the individual lead. He made three birdies, and his eagle on the par-5 10th hole briefly vaulted the Gamecocks to the top of the team standings.

Keenan Huskey fired South Carolina’s best round of the tournament on Tuesday, a 68 (-4), and he sits tied for fifth at 141 (-3) with one round left. The sophomore carded five birdies in the second round and finished strong, with a birdie on the par-4 18th hole.

Sean Kelly made it three Gamecocks in the top-10 through 36 holes, as he is tied for ninth with a score of 143 (-1) after Tuesday’s round. The senior’s second-round 72 (E) included three consecutive birdies, beginning with the par-4 11th hole.

Will Starke also shot 72 (E) on Tuesday, and the senior is tied for 14th individually with a score of 145 (+1). Starke was in the zone to start his round, birdieing the first three holes of the day, and he finished the second round with a team-best six birdies overall.

Freshman Scott Stevens is tied for 38th with one round left after shooting 77 (+5) for a two-day total of 151 (+7). The Chattanooga, Tenn., native closed his round on a high note, recording a birdie on the 18th. It was one of four birdies on the day for Stevens.

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

“Anything under par on this golf course is a really good round. I am proud of how the guys responded today. They created a little bit of a cushion for us, which is really important going into the final round. I couldn’t be happier with the way they’ve competed this week.”

Round Changer

Huskey’s 68 was the best postseason round yet for the sophomore from Greenville, S.C., and the third-best round among all players competing at Ol’ Colony Golf Complex on Tuesday. A two-time medalist already this season, Huskey enters Wednesday’s round just two strokes behind the individual leaders.

Notable

South Carolina will qualify for their fourth consecutive NCAA Championship if they can maintain a top-five position on Wednesday.
Tuesday’s round of 282 was the 10th-lowest NCAA Regional effort in Gamecock history.
The Gamecocks rank second in the field with 37 birdies as a team.
With a team win on Wednesday, the Gamecocks would capture an NCAA Regional for the second time in program history and the first time since 2007.
NeSmith has finished under par in five of his last six NCAA Regional rounds.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

The 2016 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional concludes on Wednesday, with the top five squads moving on to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore. South Carolina will play with Georgia and Kentucky, beginning at 8:45 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available all day at Golfstat.com.