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Gamecocks Hold 11th at NCAA Championship
Men's Golf  . 

Gamecocks Hold 11th at NCAA Championship

May 28, 2016

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GAMECOCK SCORECARDS
Sean Kelly
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 73
Round 3:
To Par: +8
Place: T-101st
Matt NeSmith
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 70
Round 3:
To Par: +5
Place: T-64th
Will Starke
Round 1: 67
Round 2: 72
Round 3:
To Par: -1
Place: T-6th
Keenan Huskey
Round 1: 70
Round 2: 70
Round 3:
To Par: E
Place: T-15th
Scott Stevens
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 78
Round 3:
To Par: +13
Place: T-140th
Team Standings
Pos. Team R1 R2 R3 Total
1. Vanderbilt 283 280 563 (+3)
2. Southern California 283 282 565 (+5)
3. Arkansas 282 284 566 (+6)
T4. Oregon 291 277 568 (+8)
T4. LSU 286 282 568 (+8)
6. Alabama 290 279 569 (+9)
T7. Texas 289 281 570 (+10)
T7. Illinois 290 280 570 (+10)
T9. Arizona State 290 281 571 (+11)
T9. California 287 284 571 (+11)
11. South Carolina 287 285 572 (+12)
T12. Louisville 291 282 573 (+13)
T12. Florida 286 287 573 (+13)
14. Oklahoma State 285 289 574 (+14)
T15. Kentucky 289 286 575 (+15)
T15. Auburn 294 281 575 (+15)
T15. Georgia 291 284 575 (+15)
T15. Clemson 291 284 575 (+15)
T15. San Diego State 283 292 575 (+15)
T20. Wake Forest 289 289 578 (+18)
T20. Oklahoma 290 288 578 (+18)
22. Florida State 285 294 579 (+19)
23. TCU 282 299 581 (+21)
24. Houston 296 287 583 (+23)
25. South Florida 291 294 585 (+25)
T26. Stanford 292 294 586 (+26)
T26. Virginia 292 294 586 (+26)
28. Baylor 293 296 589 (+29)
29. UAB 294 305 599 (+39)
30. Purdue 299 305 604 (+44)
Tournament Quick Facts

Dates: May 27-June 1 Location: Eugene, Ore.

Course: Eugene Country Club

Par: 70

Yards: 7,014

EUGENE, Ore. – A big closing stretch propelled the University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team to a round of 285 (+5) on Saturday in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship. After 36 holes at Eugene Country Club, the Gamecocks are in 11th place, with a score of 572 (+12).

Vanderbilt leads the field through two days, with a total score of 563 (+3), while Southern California (565, +5) is two shots back and Arkansas (566, +6) rounds out the podium. Southern Cal’s Justin Suh tops the individual standings after two days, at 135 (-5).

Most importantly, the Gamecocks are three strokes clear of the 15th-place cutline and just two shots behind Texas and Illinois (570, +10), who are tied for seventh. The top 15 teams and the conclusion of Sunday’s third round advance to Monday’s action, while the eight best finishers after the fourth round advance to match play.

Carolina slipped to 22nd place midway through Saturday’s round but got back into contention with a tremendous closing stretch. The Gamecocks started their round on Eugene Country Club’s back nine, the tougher of the two halves, and they were 9-over at the turn. But South Carolina rallied to play their inward nine in 4-under, including 10 birdies and an eagle.

Will Starke continues to pace the Gamecocks in Eugene. After 36 holes, the senior is tied for sixth individually, at 139 (-1). Starke posted a round of 72 (+2) and sits just four shots off the pace. His day included a pair of birdies, including a birdie on the closing hole.

Starke shared the tournament’s individual lead after 18 holes and remains in contention for medalist honors after steady play on Saturday. The senior opened his second round with five straight pars before birdieing the par-5 15th hole; dating back to Friday’s round, it concluded a stretch of 17 holes without a bogey for the Chapin, S.C., native.

Keenan Huskey shot a second-straight round of 70 (E) on Saturday, and he is tied for 15th through two days at 140 (E). The sophomore made the turn in 3-over but was on fire to close his round, carding a birdie on four of the final six holes. He notched consecutive birdies on the 4th and 5th holes and again on the final two holes.

Matt NeSmith matched Huskey’s 70 (E) on Saturday, and he is tied for 64th after two rounds with a total score of 145 (+5). The senior carded a team-high five birdies on Saturday, and he took advantage of the par-5 holes, achieving birdie on both the 4th and the 15th.

Sean Kelly shot 73 (+3) on Saturday and shares the 101st position, at 148 (+8). After a tough start to the day, the senior got rolling on his last nine, coming home in 2-under. Kelly made birdie on the par-3 3rd hole and the eagled the 4th, one of just 12 eagles recorded on Saturday.

Freshman Scott Stevens is tied for 140th after 36 holes, with a score of 153 (+13). Stevens shot 78 (+8) on Saturday, with a birdie on the par-4 8th hole.

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

“It’s one of those rounds that’s not pretty to look at on the scoreboard, but the guys really fought hard during the middle of the round to get us back into the top 15, which is huge. It means we’ll get to go off in the morning wave tomorrow, and I’m just proud of how hard they fought. This golf course is so difficult, and you haven’t seen many teams do what we did today – get off to a bad start and and then make a comeback.”

Round Changer

Huskey’s closing stretch included huge birdie putts on each of the final two holes. The sophomore’s drive found the bunker on the par-4 8th, but he hit it to 20 feet and curled in the birdie putt. On the par-4 9th, Huskey’s approach shot sailed over the green, but he holed out from the fringe to finish the day even par and pull two big strokes back for the Gamecocks.

Notable

  • South Carolina’s round of 285 was the 15th-best team score of the day on Saturday; the Gamecocks have posted a round in the upper half of the field in each of the first two days.
  • Huskey is one of just 14 players in the field to shoot par or better in each of his first two rounds.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

The Gamecocks will tee off at 7:55 a.m. PT on Sunday in the third round at Eugene Country Club, and they will be paired with California and Louisville. Fans are encouraged to follow Golfstat.com throughout the day for live scoring from the NCAA Championship.