Despite clunker to end fall, USC men’s golf team optimistic about spring potential
The South Carolina Gamecocks opened their men’s golf season with a flourish and finished with a thud, a contrast that led coach Rob Bradley to label the series of four tournaments “a pretty disappointing fall.”
Bradley, in his second season at USC, “thought we would do better than we did, and that leaves a bad taste.” On the other hand, he added, “that’s all the more reason to get to work” and reverse the fortunes.
And he believes that will happen in the spring portion of the schedule in the tournaments that lead to the national championship.
“We have a nice team and I’m still upbeat” about the potential, he said. “The young guys will have more experience in the spring. We’ll be relying on freshman influence, for sure.”
Seniors Frankie Harris and Zach Adams along with sophomore Merek Fleming started all four fall tournaments. Otherwise, Bradley has mixed and matched his lineup to evaluate potential and possibilities for the spring.
“We wanted to give them different opportunities,” Bradley said. “We wanted to get a feel where people are” with their games.
Freshmen August Petersson and Talan Harrison showed flashes of promise. Petersson’s achievements include a 61 in the Minnesota Golf Classic, a satellite event in connection with the Gopher Invitational, and having USC’s best individual finish, a tie for 27th, while playing as an individual in the Fallen Oaks. Harrison twice placed in the top 30.
The Gamecocks opened the fall with a second-place finish in the Gopher Invitational in Minnesota, then posted a fourth and a fifth before placing last in a field of 14 in the Fallen Oak Invitational in Mississippi.
Bradley noted that a couple of players usually score well enough “to bail you out” in the team competition. Instead, four of USC’s starters posted their worst scores for the fall in the Mississippi tournament.
The coach blamed his scheduling for the latter; USC completed a tournament in Charleston on Wednesday, then teed off in Mississippi on Saturday.
“We learned from that and (back-to-back tournaments) won’t happen next year,” Bradley said. “The players aren’t used to it. The pros can play every week, but it’s pretty different for college kids.”
Rules limit the amount of time coaches can work with individuals in their offseason, which means players will be mostly on their own between now and January. There will be tournament opportunities, especially during the Christmas holidays, too.
Bradley will be looking for more consistency in the spring, which begins with the Puerto Rico Classic in February. Four tournaments follow in leading up to the Southeastern Conference Championship and national tournaments.
“We’ll get some rest and come out ready in the spring,” said Bradley, whose first USC advanced through the regionals to the national tournament last spring. “We have a nice team.”
Chip spots. Landry Williams (Bluffton) won his second SCJGA major of the year, out-dueling Reed Cook (Awendaw) in a playoff to capture the title in the SCJGA’s Cheraw Fall Challenge at Cheraw State Park GC.