Feb. 20, 2015

Results

HUMBLE, Texas. — Led by a 3-under 69 from senior Will Murphy, the ninth-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team shot a 290 (+2) on Friday in the opening round of the Bayou City Collegiate Championship at the Golf Club of Houston.

The Gamecocks finished the day in second place and are just two strokes back of tournament leader Arkansas. The Razorbacks carded a 288 (E) to end the round with the lead. Murphy sits atop the individual leaderboard, holding a two-stroke lead over a group seven golfers at 1-under. A native of Columbia, S.C., Murphy recorded four birdies and just one bogey on the afternoon.

Golfers were sent on the course to start their second rounds immediately after conclusion of the first round in an attempt to get as many holes in before dark with inclement weather in the forecast this weekend. Partial scores for the second round were not available.

Freshman Keenan Huskey, who is playing as an individual, shot a career-low 72 (E) and is tied for ninth.

Senior Caleb Sturgeon is tied for 20th after shooting a 1-over 73 on Friday, while juniors Matt NeSmith and Sean Kelly are tied for 30th after each carding a 74 (+2). Junior Will Starke shot a 78 and is tied for 69th.

Charlotte finished the round in third place with a 291 (+1), followed by Houston (293), McNeese State (294), UTSA (294) and Troy (294).

Round Changer
Murphy played a bogey-free front nine at 1-under and recorded a 2-under 34 on the back nine with just one bogey.

Key Stat
The Gamecocks rank second in the field in par-5 scoring, playing the par-5s at 4-under on Friday.

Notables
• Huskey posted a career-low round of 72.
• Murphy and Huskey are tied for second in par-4 scoring (3.80), playing the par-4s at 2-under.
• The Gamecocks rank second in the field in pars (60) and are second in par-5 scoring (4.80), playing the par-5s at 4-under.

Quotable
South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald
“I’m really proud of how the guys played today in extremely difficult conditions. Will Murphy’s first round was one of the best I’ve seen. It was incredible what he did out there today. We have a great chance to compete for the title with another solid day tomorrow.”

Up Next
The Gamecocks will resume their second round on Saturday morning at 7:30. Live scoring will be available through Golfstat.