Gamecocks Back on the Course at Valspar Collegiate Invitational

PALM CITY, Fla. – South Carolina opens play at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational on Sunday, its second tournament this week. The Gamecocks are fresh off their first win of the 2018-19 season at the Palmetto Intercollegiate (March 11-12) in which the team broke the school and tournament 54-hole scoring record (813, -27).
 
“This is one of the best fields in college golf – it is every year,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “I think this year it’s just as strong if not stronger than anything we’ve ever played in. It’s a great golf course and an incredible atmosphere for all of us involved. We’re excited about how we played at Palmetto. It’s a quick turnaround but it’s that time of the year, so the guys will be ready.”
 
Carolina will have the same lineup of seniors Will Miles, Scott Stevens and Ryan Stachler with juniors Caleb Proveaux and Jamie Wilson.
 
Miles went wire-to-wire for his first college win at Palmetto Golf Club, earning SEC Golfer of the Week honors en route to a career-best performance (shot 197, -13). Stachler (T-2^nd) and Proveaux (T-5^th) each had career-best finishes as well.
 
This will mark the first time all season the Gamecocks have used the same lineup.
 
Carolina is paired with Arkansas and Florida State in the opening round tomorrow. It’s a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. ET. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.

ABOUT THE COURSE
Floridian National Golf Club is a par-71 layout that plays 7,114 yards. The renowned golf course offers perfectly manicured rolling fairways and greens, demanding hazards, breathtaking views of the St. Lucie River, and is surrounded by natural preserve and native wildlife.
 
It’s a Tom Fazio design and is the home course for some of the world’s best players.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Gamecocks have played in the Valspar the last four seasons with a pair of top-five finishes. The team finished third in 2015 and T-5^th the next season in 2016.

TOURNAMENT FIELD
The Valspar Collegiate Invitational is annually one of the top regular season college events in the country and this year’s field is one of the best. Six top-10 teams in the latest Golfstat Team Rankings will be competing. Fourteen of the 15 teams are ranked in the top-35.  
 
Here is the field and where they rank via Golfstat:
 
1. Oklahoma State
2. Duke
3. Vanderbilt
6.   Wake Forest
8.   Texas
9.   Georgia Tech
11. LSU
13. Auburn
20. USF
23. Baylor
27. Texas A&M     
30. Florida State
31. South Carolina
35. Arkansas
100. Houston

MCDONALD’S 22
Gamecock head coach Bill McDonald is the winningest coach by tournament victories in school history with 22. McDonald broke the previous record of nine held by Puggy Blackmon (1995-2007) with Carolina’s win at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in September 2014. McDonald captured a school-record five wins in 2014-15
 
UP NEXT
The Gamecocks are back in action March 24-26 at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, S.C., wrapping up a three tournament in three week stretch for the team. South Carolina has played well at Bulls Bay Golf Club, winning the event three-straight years from 2015-17.
 
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