McDonald Welcomes Three From Palmetto State on Signing Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina head men’s golf coach Bill McDonald announced the addition of three future Gamecocks to his program on Thursday, all hailing from the Palmetto State. Nathan Franks (Roebuck, S.C.), Mason Tucker (Lancaster, S.C.) and Gene Zeigler (Florence, S.C.) signed National Letters of Intent to continue their golf careers at South Carolina in the fall of 2021.
 
“Any time you can get three quality players from the state of South Carolina it’s a great recruiting class,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “We are really excited about these three young men joining the program, and it’s been a wonderful experience recruiting them and getting to know their families. Coach (Ben) Dietrich and I are looking forward to their arrival on campus next fall and we’re expecting all three to be major contributors to our program.”
 
2021 Gamecock Men’s Golf Signing Class
 
Nathan Franks (Roebuck, S.C. – Dorman High School)
 
• Son of Ed and Shannon Franks; has a younger sister – Abby
• AJGA Rolex All-American
• Two-time all-state and three-time all-region selection for the Dorman Cavaliers
• 2020 CGA Creed Boys Invitational Champion
• 2020 CGA Mimosa Hills Junior Invitational Champion
• 2019 AJGA Calloway Golf – Ollie Schniederjans Junior Classic Champion
• Ninth ranked player in the SCJGA Rankings for the class of 2021
• Click here for Franks’ AJGA profile and click here for his SCJGA profile
• Member of the Beta Club and National Honor Society
 
McDonald on Franks: “Nathan has really played well the past couple of years and he has that rare ability to close out golf tournaments when he’s in contention. He’s a quiet and a tenacious competitor and he really enjoys the hard work it takes to get better.”
 
Mason Tucker (Lancaster, S.C. – Lancaster High School)
 
• Son of Derek and Jo Tucker; has an older sister – Emily
• Multiple all-state and all-region honoree, helped lead the Lancaster Bruins to a 4A state title in 2018 – was runner-up individually
• 2019 Tom Fleischer Invitational Champion
• 2019 CGA Match Play Champion
• 2019 CGA Jimmy Anderson Champion
• 2019 SCJGA Blade Champion
• 2019 David Parrott Award winner, which is given annually to the Carolinas Team player who displays excellence in sportsmanship, ability and academic excellence
• Seventh ranked player in the SCJGA Rankings for the class of 2021
• Click here for Tucker’s SCJGA profile
• Member of the Beta Club and National Honor Society on pace to graduate top of his class
 
McDonald on Tucker: “Mason initially impressed me with his ball striking and his natural way of playing or maybe that’s just the left hander in him. Mason is very much a feel player who likes to keep things pretty simple. He has a very refreshing and brutally honest way of analyzing his game, and I’ve always appreciated his down to earth perspective on things. Mason will really benefit, and all three freshmen for that matter, from our competitive practices and weight training program.”
 
Gene Zeigler (Florence, S.C. – Trinity Collegiate School)
 
• Son of Ben and Belle Zeigler – mom played college basketball at Sewanee
• Four-time Region Player of the Year and two-time state champion for the Trinity Collegiate Titans (Darlington, S.C.)
• 2020 Patriot Invitational Champion
• 2020 Cardinal Newman Invitational Champion
• 2020 SCJGA Beth Daniel Junior Azalea runner-up
• 2020 CGA Carolinas Junior Boys runner-up
• 2019 SCGA and CGA Player of the Year
• 2019 Fall Challenge Champion 
• 2019 Anderson Brothers Invitational Champion
• Second ranked player in the SCJGA Rankings for the class of 2021 (fourth ranked junior golfer in the state overall)
• Click here for Zeigler’s SCJGA profile
• Lifelong Gamecock fan that committed after his freshman year
• AP Scholar and member of the National Honor Society
 
McDonald on Zeigler: “Gene has always impressed me with his ability to make a lot of birdies and shoot some really low numbers. Physically, he has grown a tremendous amount the past couple of years and I feel like his mechanics became more consistent this past summer as a result of some really hard work. He has made big strides on the mental side as well and I feel like his game is about to take off. Gene is outgoing and he has some natural leadership qualities that will fit in well here for sure.”
 
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