Gamecocks post best round of season on Saturday with 11-under score
The South Carolina men’s golf team traveled to Statesboro, Ga., last weekend to compete in the Chris Schenkel Invitational at the Forest Heights Country Club in a 14-team field. The Gamecocks finished the weekend in eighth place.
“We expected more from this weekend after finishing third in back-to-back weeks,” said associate head coach Don Hill. “We continue to grow and improve for as young of a team we are. You are expected to perform at a high level every outing.”
The team scored 293 (+5) to open up tournament play on Friday. Three of the five Gamecocks recorded 36 or better on the back nine. Senior Wesley Bryan started the weekend with an opening-round 72 (E), which included two eagles. The Gamecocks finished the first round in 10th place.
Freshman Caleb Sturgeon started with 1-over 73 to end tied for 36th place at the end of the first round. Sturgeon was coming off his first top-five finish from his previous competition at the Palmetto Intercollegiate, where he placed fourth.
On Saturday, the team played its best golf of the season. The team shot an 11-under 277 in the second round of the competition. It was South Carolina’s lowest round of shooting since the 2010 NCAA East Regional. The Gamecocks climbed up to finish the day in seventh. Sturgeon led the Gamecocks, shooting a career-best 5-under 67. Freshman Will Murphy ended Saturday with a 3-under 69, bouncing back from Friday’s 74.
Bryan and Sturgeon paved the way for Gamecocks, finishing tied for 21st place. Freshmen Murphy and Sean Kelly tied for 48th. Sophomore Blaine Woodruff also tied for 48th after playing as an individual, shooting a 2-over 74.
Junior Dykes Harbin ended the weekend with a round of 71 (-1) and 31st place finish. Harbin had a good performance on the front nine and made the turn at 3-under, but double-bogeyed on the 10th hole to drop him back to 1-under.
“The SEC is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation,” Hill said. “We have tough matchups between every school so it’s a great way to gain experience. I don’t think Alabama shot a bogey at all on one of the days, which I don’t think has ever happened.”
Alabama shot a final-round 280 (-8) to win the tournament with a record score of 817 (-47).
“We are building up to the SEC Championship and rest of the postseason, growing week by week. Wesley, Caleb, and Dykes are continuing to play solid every tournament, providing a base and the rest of the team is playing well,” Hill said. “Our team is young, we are doing good things and growing. Whoever handles adversity the best comes out on top.”
The Gamecocks will play again on Sunday, March 25, in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate. The tournament is held in Awendaw, S.C., at the Bulls Bay Golf Club, March 25-27.