Matt NeSmith

Tweets by @Matt_KneeSmith

Awards/Honors

• 2016 Ben Hogan Award Semifinalist
• 2016 Jack Nicklaus Award Semifinalist
• 2016 PING All-American First Team
• 2016 All-Nicklaus Team
• 2016 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar
• 2015 Golfweek All-American Third Team
• 2015-16 University of South Carolina Co-Male Student-Athlete of the Year
• 2016 All-SEC First Team
• 2016 PING All-Southeast Region
• 2015 Golfweek All-American Third Team
• 2015 PING All-American Third Team
• 2015 PING All-Southeast Region
• 2015 All-SEC First Team
• 2015 SCGA Player of the Year
• 2015 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar
• 2015 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2014 PING All-Southeast Region
• 2014 All-SEC Second Team
• 2014 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2013 PING Honorable Mention All-American
• 2013 PING All-Southeast Region
• 2013 SEC Co-Freshman of the Year
• 2013 SEC All-Freshman Team
• 2013 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• SEC Golfer of the Week – 3/1/15, 3/9/16, 3/16/16

2015-16 (Senior)

• Was honored as the first Gamecock in program history to earn PING First Team All-America honors
• Named to the Golfweek Preseason All-America First Team
• Was the first Gamecock in history to earn a spot on the Ben Hogan Award Watch List, progressing to become one of 10 semifinalists
• Became the second Gamecock in as many years and fourth overall to win the SCGA’s Player of the Year in December
• Finished T-45th at the NCAA Championship to help the Gamecocks make match play for the first time in program history
• Finished second at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional with a three-day score of 208 (-8)
• Became Carolina’s all-time leader in top-10 finishes, with 25 heading into the NCAA Championship
• Won two tournaments and now ranks second in school history with four career medalist honors
• Tied for medalist honors at the General Hackler Championship with a score of 207 (-9)
• General Hackler win was his second medalist honor in five days, becoming the first Gamecock in history to win two individual tournaments in less than a week
• Birdied the 54th hole to win medalist honors at the Palmetto Intercollegiate with a score of 203 (-7)
• Guided the Gamecocks to three spring victories, including the Palmetto, the General Hackler, and the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, where he tied for 10th
• Finished in the top-five in the first four spring tournaments
• Final 71.65 career scoring average is the top mark in school history
• Opened the fall with a pair of seventh-place showings at the Carpet Capital Collegiate and the Shoal Creek Invitational
• Was the Gamecocks’ highest finisher in their first three fall tournaments, finishing in the top 10 twice and the top 20 once
• Led the team with a 71.24 stroke average
• Had 36 of his 37 rounds count as a member of the Gamecocks’ lineup in 12 tournaments

2014-15 (Junior)

• Third-team All-American selection by both Golfweek and PING
• First-team All-SEC and PING All-Southeast Region selection
• Posted a stroke average of 70.51, which ranks second in program history for a single season
• Became just the second Gamecock to win an SEC title as he claimed a six-stroke victory at the SEC Championship with a school-record 54-hole total of 196 (-14)
• Second-round 64 (-6) at the SEC Championship is a career low and school SEC Championship record
• Named Golfweek National Player of the Week (4/20) for winning the SEC Championship
• Finished in the top 20 in eight of 12 tournaments, including two tournament wins
• Captured first career tournament title at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, winning in a playoff with a total of 205 (-11)
• Named SEC Golfer of the Week (4/1) for winning at Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate
• Also had top-20 regular-season finishes at the Carpet Capital Collegiate (T-18th), DICK’S Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup (T-4th), Camden Collegiate Invitational (T-7th), Bayou City Collegiate Championship (T-13th), Valspar Collegiate Invitational (T-6th)
• Helped lead Gamecocks to runner-up finish at the NCAA Bremerton Regional with a tie for seventh finish with a total of 210 (-6)
• Finished tied for 45th at the NCAA Championship with a 72-hole total of 297 (+9)
• Recorded 18 rounds under par, including 14 rounds in the 60s
• Won sectional qualifier at Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Ball Ground, Ga., with a 36-hole total of 127 (-17) to qualify for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay; Missed the cut at the U.S. Open, tying for 107th with total of 149 (+9)
• Captured Players Amateur title with 72-hole total of 271 (-13) to earn exemption to the PGA Tour’s 2016 RBC Heritage
• Made third-straight appearance at the U.S. Amateur Championship and finished tied for eighth in stroke play; Won opening-round match 1 up over Clemson’s Billy Kennerly before falling to eventual champion Bryson DeChambeau in the round of 32, 5 and 4
• Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar
• Member of the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll

2013-14 (Sophomore)

• Continued excellent play from freshman season to remain one of team’s top golfers
• Second-team All-SEC and first-team PING All-Southeast Region selection
• Tied for the team lead with seven top-20 finishes
• Recorded four top-five finishes, which is tied for the fifth most in a single season in school history
• Closed out fall scheduled with three-straight top-five finishes
• Tied for fourth at the Rees Jones Invitational with a total of 218 (+2)
• Finished runner-up in back-to-back events, taking second at the Badger Invitational with a total of 212 (-4) and second at the Wendy’s Kiawah Classic with a total of 212 (-4)
• Claimed third place at the Seahawk Intercollegiate with a total of 139 (-5)
• Also had top-20 finishes at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate (T-20th) and Augusta Invitational (11th)
• Narrowly missed top-20 finish at the SEC Championship, finishing tied for 21st with a total of 210 (E)
• Fired a 65 in the first round of the SEC Championship
• Tied for 141st at the NCAA Championship
• Second on the team with a stroke average of 72.26
• Tied for the team lead with 16 rounds of par or better
• Member of the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll

2012-13 (Freshman)

• Turned in one of the most decorated freshman seasons in school history
• Named PING honorable mention All-American
• Garnered SEC Co-Freshman of the Year honors
• Earned PING All-Southeast Region and SEC All-Freshman Team accolades
• Led the Gamecocks and ranked 17th in the SEC with a scoring average of 72.64, which is the second lowest average for a freshman in school history
• Played in all 12 tournaments and finished in the top 20 in nine of those events
• Recorded seven top-10 finishes, which ties for the second most all-time in a single season at South Carolina
• Opened collegiate career with a tie for 19th showing at the Carpet Capital Collegiate and followed it up with a tie for seventh finish at the Rees Jones Invitational
• Closed out the fall schedule with a tie for sixth finish at the Wendy’s Kiawah Classic to help lead the Gamecocks to their first tournament win since 2009
• Reeled off four straight top-10 finishes in the spring, beginning with a tie for 10th showing at the USF Invitational with rounds of 74-71-71=216 (E)
• Finished tied for third at the Palmetto Intercollegiate with rounds of 68-69-72=209 (-1)
• Tied for seventh at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate with rounds of 77-72-70=219 (+3)
• Tied for eighth at the Augusta State Invitational with rounds of 67-73-74=214 (-2)
• Helped lead the Gamecocks to a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship with a tie for 20th showing, shooting 69-70-79=218 (+8)
• Led the way at the NCAA Columbus Regional, tying for second with rounds of 75-71-68=214 (+1)
• Was the Gamecocks’ top finisher at the NCAA Championship, finishing tied for 38th with rounds of 70-75-66=211 (+1)
• Final-round 66 at the NCAA Championship matches the lowest NCAA Championship round in school history
• Three-time SEC Freshman of the Week (3/6, 3/13, 4/10)
• Named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

Prior to South Carolina

• Standout at North Augusta High School in North Augusta, S.C.
• One of four junior golfers to receive the prestigious Byron Nelson International Junior Golf Award in 2012
• Won the 2012 Rolex Tournament of Champions and the 2012 Footjoy Invitational, earning a sponsor’s exemption to play in the 2012 PGA Wyndham Championship
• First team American Junior Golf Association All-American
• Ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek and Polo junior rankings
• Medalist in the 2009, 1010 and 2011 South Carolina Region 4A Championship
• Won the South Carolina Lower State in 2011
• Finished second at the 4A State Championship in 2010 and fourth in 2011
• Won the 2009 Orange Jacket Junior, the 2009 and 2010 George Holliday Junior, the h2010 SCJGA Fall Challenge and the 2011 Junior Heritage
• Had second-place finishes at the 2010 Jones Cup Junior Invitational and the 2010 SCJGA South Carolina Junior Championship
• Finished third at the 2010 SCJGA South Carolina Players Championship, the 2011 Bobby Chapman Invitational and the AJGA Ping Invitational
• Placed fourth at the 2011 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley
• Represented the East in the AJGA Wyndham Cup and was the only player to go 4-0-0 for all his matches
• Qualified for the 2011 U.S. Junior and finished 10th in the stroke play portion
• Was named 2010 Male Athlete of the Year by the Greater Augusta Area Sports Council

Personal

• Full name is Matthew Christian NeSmith
• Parents are Darren and Beth NeSmith
• Majoring in sociology