No. 22 Gamecocks Start SECs Wednesday at Sea Island

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — No. 22 South Carolina men’s golf opens play at the 2022 SEC Championship on Wednesday. This year marks the fifth consecutive season in which the tournament champion will be decided with match play. The Gamecocks have advanced to the quarterfinals three times in the last four conference tournaments.
 
SEC Network+ will carry semifinal matches live on Saturday. The championship match will be televised live on SEC Network starting at 8 a.m. (ET) on Sunday.
 
St. Simons Island has played host to the SEC Championship every year since 2001. The tournament has been conducted at Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course each year since 2010.
 
Rated No. 1 in the U.S. among the “World’s 50 Best Golf Hotels” by Golf Digest Index, Sea Island Golf Club offers three exceptional 18-hole championship courses. The Seaside Course, home to the PGA TOUR’s McGladrey Classic, is a links course graced by majestic ocean vistas in the tradition of St. Andrews.
 
The Seaside Course was totally reconfigured by Tom Fazio and reopened in October 1999. The new Seaside Course is the brilliant blending of Colt & Allison’s original nine-hole Seaside and Joe Lee’s Marshside nine into one seamless, contemporary 18-hole golf course. Tidal creeks, dunes, saltmarshes and St. Simons Sound frame the course which plays fast, firm and fun in the tradition of legendary Scottish links.
 
“It’s always a treat to be at Sea Island this time of year for our SEC Championship,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “The field is stacked as usual, and we’re going to have to play some of our best golf to compete for the title. Weather looks good for the next few days with pretty good winds, so I’m expecting a challenging golf course that will demand patience and proper execution.”
 
In 14 SEC Championship appearances under McDonald, South Carolina has finished in the top-five eight times with three runner-up finishes. Three-time All-American Matt NeSmith became the Gamecocks’ third all-time SEC Individual Champion after earning medalist honors in 2015, helping the team to a T-2nd finish. The four-year standout shot a program-record 196 en route to the win.
 
It’s the same five players in the lineup this week for the Gamecocks as its been all spring with All-American Ryan Hall, junior Jack Wall, redshirt senior Evans Lewis, freshman Nathan Franks and sophomore Rafe Reynolds. The team has played well in five spring events with two wins, a runner-up finish and a 280.40 team scoring average.
 
South Carolina will be paired with No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 21 Ole Miss in round one, teeing off on hole one at 8:50 a.m. Wednesday. Live scoring is available all week via Golfstat. It’s another stacked field, with 10 teams ranked in the top-25 of the Golfstat Team Rankings.
 
2022 SEC Championship Field
1. No. 3 Vanderbilt
2. No. 10 Arkansas
3. No. 12 Georgia
4. No. 15 Auburn
5. No. 16 Florida
6. No. 18 Tennessee
7. No. 19 Texas A&M
8. No. 21 Ole Miss
9. No. 22 South Carolina
10. No. 25 LSU
11. No. 42 Alabama
12. No. 45 Missouri  
13. Mississippi State
14. Kentucky
 
2022 SEC Championship Gamecock Lineup
1. Ryan Hall – 9:30 a.m. (ET)
2. Jack Wall – 9:20 a.m.
3. Evans Lewis – 9:10 a.m.
4. Nathan Franks – 9 a.m.
5. Rafe Reynolds – 8:50 a.m.
 
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