The men’s golf season has seen its ups and downs, from top-three finishes to bottom finishes. But during the NCAA Championships held last weekend, the Gamecocks climbed the ranks until they eventually fell in the quarterfinals to Illinois.
On day one, senior Will Starke carried South Carolina with his first round of 67, good enough to be tied for first. The other Gamecock golfers got off to a slower starts, with Sean Kelly, Matt NeSmith and Scott Stevens tied for 103rd place. The Gamecocks’ fifth golfer, Keenan Huskey, was tied for 16th at the end of the round.
The second day was much of the same. After being in 10th place Friday, South Carolina placed 11th, but just behind California and Arizona State who were tied for ninth. NeSmith posted a 70 — five strokes better than his previous round — to move up to tied for 64th. Starke still lead the Gamecocks after his two-over round, tied for 6th place.
The Gamecocks looked just out of reach of the coveted top-eight finish, which would propel them into semifinal duels, especially after another drop in place on the third day. The team would finish in 12th place after almost all golfers dropped in place or did not advance much.
"It was a frustrating day in that we got off to a good start on some very tough holes and then played the back nine 10-over,” head coach Bill McDonald said. “The golf course is just playing so tough that any little mistake gets magnified.”
That is, it was frustrating until three Gamecocks went under par for the last day to earn the Gamecocks a top eight finish.
Freshman Scott Stevens had his best round of the tournament, posting a 68 (-2) that jumped him 66 places to tie for 71st. Kelly also helped his team out by shooting a 69, advancing to tie for 40th. But the real heroics came from Will Starke, who tied with Oklahoma’s Max McGreevy for the best round of individual golf at -4. South Carolina leapfrogged five places to end up seventh.
In the semifinals, the Gamecocks matched up against second-place Illinois. However, Illinois proved to be too strong. Huskey, NeSmith, Kelly and Starke all lost their matches, but Stevens was the first Gamecock to ever win an individual match play victory at the NCAA Championship, defeating Dylan Meyer 4 and 3.