Gamecocks Headed To Purdue For NCAA Regionals

May 4, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The field is set and South Carolina men’s golf is Indiana-bound for NCAA Regionals in two weeks. The Gamecocks, who are making their sixth consecutive NCAA appearance, will be the fifth seed in the West Lafayette Regional, hosted by Purdue University at the Kampen Course May 15-17.

“We’re very excited to be playing in the Purdue Regional,” head coach Bill McDonald said. “We’ve heard great things about the course from associate head coach Jake Amos, who helped coach the Boilermakers for two seasons. Obviously we’re going to rely heavily on his knowledge of Kampen. It looks to be a strong field, and we’ll have to play well to advance.”

81 teams and 45 individuals were selected live on the Golf Channel on Thursday for the six regional sites. Each site will consist of 54-hole stroke play with the low five teams and the low individual not on those teams advancing to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship on May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. This year’s Men’s Golf Championships will be broadcast for the fourth consecutive year by Golf Channel, with more than 100 news and tournament hours planned again for the men’s and women’s golf championships.

No. 4 Florida is the top seed in Carolina’s regional. Big Ten champion Illinois is seeded second, Mountain West champion UNLV is seeded third and fellow SEC member Auburn is seeded fourth. The Gamecocks have squared off against five opponents in the regional during the regular season, posting a 7-3 record with head-to-head finishes in front of Auburn (3), Augusta (2), Purdue (1) and Richmond (1).

South Carolina will be making its 24th all-time appearance in the NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals and the 10th all-time under head coach Bill McDonald. In McDonald’s first season, the team captured the 2007 NCAA West Regional Title after shooting a course record 44-under (820) par at the Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. In 10 regional appearances under McDonald, the Gamecocks have advanced to the NCAA Championship six times including four consecutive berths (2013-16), the best mark in school history.

Last season, Carolina had its best showing in program history at the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., finishing T-5th. The Gamecocks advanced to NCAA Match Play for the first time ever with a seventh place finish in stroke play. Second Team All-SEC selections Keenan Huskey and Scott Stevens were key contributors in the historic run.

NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Field – West Lafayette, Ind. – Hosted by Purdue University
1. Florida
2. Illinois
3. UNLV
4. Auburn
5. South Carolina
6. Colorado
7. Purdue
8. New Mexico
9. Augusta
10. Saint Mary’s
11. Campbell
12. Richmond
13. Cleveland State