Men's Golf . May 29, 2016

Gamecocks Advance to NCAA Championship Fourth Round

2016 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
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GAMECOCK SCORECARDS

Sean Kelly
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 73
Round 3: 72
To Par: +10
Place: T-85th

Matt NeSmith
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 70
Round 3: 71
To Par: +6
Place: T-50th

Will Starke
Round 1: 67
Round 2: 72
Round 3: 79
To Par: +8
Place: T-67th

Keenan Huskey
Round 1: 70
Round 2: 70
Round 3: 76
To Par: +6
Place: T-50th

Scott Stevens
Round 1: 75
Round 2: 78
Round 3: 74
To Par: +17
Place: T-137th

Pos.	Team	R1	R2	R3	Total
1.	Vanderbilt	283	280	282	845 (+5)
2.	Texas	289	281	277	847 (+7)
3.	Southern California	283	282	285	850 (+10)
4.	LSU	286	282	283	851 (+11)
5.	Oregon	291	277	284	852 (+12)
6.	Arkansas	282	284	289	855 (+15)
7.	Arizona State	290	281	286	857 (+17)
8.	California	287	284	287	858 (+18)
T9.	Oklahoma State	285	289	285	859 (+19)
T9.	Illinois	290	280	289	859 (+19)
11.	Kentucky	289	286	288	863 (+23)
12.	South Carolina	287	285	293	865 (+25)
13.	Florida	286	287	293	866 (+26)
T14.	Oklahoma	290	288	289	867 (+27)
T14.	Louisville	291	282	294	867 (+27)
T14.	TCU	282	299	286	CUT – 867 (+27)
T14.	Clemson	291	284	292	CUT – 867 (+27)
T14.	Georgia	291	284	292	CUT – 867 (+27)
T19.	Houston	296	287	285	CUT – 868 (+28)
T19.	Florida State	285	294	289	CUT – 868 (+28)
T19.	Auburn	294	281	293	CUT – 868 (+28)
22.	Virginia	292	294	283	CUT – 869 (+29)
T23.	Wake Forest	289	289	293	CUT – 871 (+31)
T23.	Alabama	290	279	302	CUT – 871 (+31)
25.	San Diego State	283	292	297	CUT – 872 (+32)
26.	South Florida	291	294	291	CUT – 876 (+36)
27.	Baylor	293	296	291	CUT – 880 (+40)
28.	Stanford	292	294	298	CUT – 884 (+44)
29.	Purdue	299	305	294	CUT – 898 (+58)
30.	UAB	294	305	303	CUT – 902 (+62)

Dates: May 27-June 1

Location: Eugene, Ore.

Course: Eugene Country Club

Par: 70

Yards: 7,014

EUGENE, Ore. — The University of South Carolina Men’s Golf team qualified for the fourth round at the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship as they finished the opening 54-hole portion of the event in 12th place with a team score of 865 (+25). The Gamecocks shot a score of 293 (+13) in the third round and made the 54-hole cut by two strokes.

The Gamecocks entered the day in 11th place and went out with the morning groups as one of the top 15 teams on the 36-hole leaderboard. South Carolina stood in 21st position at the conclusion of their round but gradually moved up the standings as the afternoon went on, eventually settling in 12th place.

Vanderbilt leads the team standings after three days at Eugene Country Club, with a score of 845 (+5). Texas (847, +7) is two strokes back, while Southern California (850, +10) sits in third place.

The field will be trimmed to eight teams after Monday’s round, and the Gamecocks have some ground to make up in order to qualify for the match play portion of the Championship. California currently owns eighth place, at 858 (+18); the Gamecocks are seven strokes back.

South Carolina was able to advance thanks in large part to their tremendous play on Eugene Country Club’s back nine, the harder of the two halves this week. The Gamecocks started on the 10th hole Sunday and thus played the back nine first; they made the turn at 3-over, their best effort on the side this week.

Matt NeSmith shot South Carolina’s best round of the day, a 71 (+1) that has the senior at 216 (+6) through three days. NeSmith strung four birdies together on Sunday, including consecutive under-par holes on the 4th and 5th. He is tied for 50th place.

Keenan Huskey shares the 50th spot with NeSmith after notching a score of 216 (+6) through three rounds. Huskey shot 76 (+6) on Sunday, which included a pair of birdies.

NeSmith and Huskey are 12 strokes behind the individual leader, Oregon’s Aaron Wise (204, -6).

Senior Will Starke is in a tie for 67th place after 54 holes, with a cumulative score of 218. The Chapin, S.C., native shot 79 (+9) in his third round.

Sean Kelly posted his best round of the tournament on Sunday, a 72 (+2). The senior is tied for 85th position after three rounds of action. His Sunday round included three birdies, and he was one of the day’s fastest risers, moving up 16 spots on the leaderboard.

Like Kelly, freshman Scott Stevens ended Sunday with his best effort of the week, a 74 (+4) that included three birdies. In his first career NCAA Championship appearance, Stevens is tied for 137th through 54 holes, with a score of 227 (+17).

Quoting Coach Bill McDonald

“It was a frustrating day in that we got off to a good start on some very tough holes and then played the back nine 10-over. The golf course is just playing so tough that any little mistake gets magnified. We are fortunate to be in the race to eight tomorrow, and I know the guys will give it all they have.”

Round Changer

NeSmith saved some of his best holes of the tournament for the final nine on Sunday. The senior carded birdies on the 4th, 5th, and 8th holes to help the Gamecocks advance to the fourth round. Huskey also birdied the 8th as the Gamecocks moved on to Monday’s action.

Notable

NeSmith and Huskey were named to the PING All-Southeast Region Team on Sunday. The All-Region honor is NeSmith’s fourth and Huskey’s first.
The Gamecocks are guaranteed to finish in the top 15 at the NCAA Championship for the third consecutive season and the eighth time in program history.
This is the first time in South Carolina history that the Gamecocks have collected three straight top 15 results at the NCAA Championship.

Up Next for the Gamecocks

The Gamecocks will tee off from the 10th hole at 12:20 p.m. PT on Monday alongside Illinois and Kentucky. Live television coverage begins at 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET) on Golf Channel, and live scoring is available throughout the day on Golfstat.com.