Gamecocks’ achievements have them in NCAA golf elite
South Carolina’s men’s golf team ran into a “hot” opponent in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship on Tuesday, but the 4-1 match-play loss to Illinois shouldn’t dim the Gamecocks’ achievements. Indeed, the South Carolina program has climbed from solid into one of the elite with realistic expectations of high-level success.
How well did this team play? Consider, if this were football, they would’ve been in a New Year’s bowl game; if basketball, the Elite Eight; if baseball, in Omaha for the College World Series.
“We just want to do better each year,” coach Bill McDonald said, and the Gamecocks have done that. The 2015-16 squad won four of 10 regular-season tournaments, posted the program’s best-ever finish (seventh) in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championship and became the first USC squad to earn one of the eight spots in the match-play competition that produces the champion.
“Monday was an emotional day for us; we were out of (match play by seven strokes at 12th) and played our way back in it with a great round (3-under 277, tied for the day’s best),” McDonald said. “We had a quick turn-around into match play on Tuesday morning. We could have won every match; we had guys under par. We just ran into a hot team.”
The Gamecocks lose three stalwarts – seniors Matt NeSmith, Will Starke and Sean Kelly – and “we’ll be young next year,” McDonald said.
Junior Keenan Huskey and sophomore Scott Stevens return. Sophomore Will Miles and red-shirt junior Ben Dietrich have some experience, sophomore Ryan Stachler advanced to sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open and the freshman class – Caleb Proveaux, Jamie Wilson and Connor Chesky – bring some impressive credentials.
“You never know how freshmen will play,” McDonald said. “I didn’t see Scott (Steven) starting every tournament this year, but he did and played well. Will Miles can make a case he deserved to play more, but we ran out of space with seniors such a big part of the program.”
The seniors had another quick turn-around. They all made their professional debuts Thursday on the Mackenzie Tour in Canada, which is affiliated with the PGA Tour. They left a legacy of being one of four teams to finish in the top 15 in the NCAA Championship the past three years.
“They elevated our program to a high level,” McDonald said. “They set the expectations high and we won’t back off of those. Our goals will remain high.”
City women’s championship
A new format will produce a new champion in the Sonic Columbia City Women’s Golf Championship this week at the Members Club’s Woodcreek course. Seventy-eight players will compete over 36 holes on Tuesday and Wednesday, but neither 2015 winner Sydney Legacy nor Kelli Murphy, a four-time winner since 2010, will play.
Kathryn Miranda, the 2013 champion who played at Lexington High and the College of Charleston, is among the favorites. Leigh Coulter, a member of Furman’s 1976 national championship team and one of the top senior players in the Carolinas, and Cecilia Fournil, who won the city title four times between 1995 and 2006, will be among the challengers.
Parker Stalvey, a rising high school sophomore who advanced to the national finals of the 2015 Drive-Chip and Putt competition in her age group, will compete for the second time.
Chip shots
In his last junior event, Caleb Proveaux (Lexington) won the Jimmy Creed Boys’ Invitational at Camden CC by three shots over Matt Moninghoff (Columbia). … The Midlands Golf Course Owners Association will offer its VIP value books, an $80 value, in a summer sale for $50 beginning June 15. The books offer special rates at 23 Midlands courses. The list of courses is available at www.scmidlandsgolf.org and purchases can be made at the South Carolina Golf Association (803-732-9311). … Playing spots remain in the South Carolina Festival of Flowers tourney, set for June 11-12 at the Patriot GC at Grand Harbor in Ninety Six. Call pro Craig Malone (864-543-2000) to enter. The deadline is Tuesday. … Preston Cole and Bryce Howell held off the team of Taylor Ingle and Chris Mitchell, 1 up to win the 2016 SCGA Four Ball Championship at the CC of Spartanburg.
This story was originally published June 4, 2016 at 9:43 PM with the headline "Gamecocks’ achievements have them in NCAA golf elite."