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Gamecocks Finish Runner-Up at SEC Championship
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. —
The South Carolina men’s golf team made a stellar run at the program’s
first SEC title on Sunday but it came up just short, finishing
runner-up by two strokes to second-ranked Alabama at the 2013 SEC
Championship with a total of 850 (+10) at Sea Island Golf Club.
The
Gamecocks, who shot a final-round 295 (+15), entered the day with a
three-shot lead over the Crimson Tide, but Alabama posted a 290 (+10)
to win the title with a 54-hole total of 848 (+8).
With just one
group left on the course, the teams entered the final three holes tied
at 8-over par. Carolina sophomore Caleb Sturgeon triple bogeyed the
16th but bounced back to make par on the 17th and a birdie on No. 18 to
give the Gamecocks a chance. However, Alabama’s Corey Whitsett finished
with a birdie, a par and a bogey to secure the title for the Crimson
Tide.
“I was really proud of the guys this week,” said South
Carolina head coach Bill McDonald, whose team posted the lowest 54-hole
SEC Championship score in school history. “They gave us a chance to win
arguably the best conference championship in the country. It was
exciting all the way to the end. I really think it will be good for us
going forward into regionals having gone through that kind of tough
setting.”
Sturgeon played one of the best tournaments of his
career as he carded a final-round 73 (+3) to finish runner-up in the
individual standings with a total of 205 (-5), which was three strokes
back of Arkansas’ Sebastian Cappelen (202). His total is the second
lowest 54-hole SEC Championship score in school history, ranking behind
only George Bryan IV’s total of 204 at the 2010 event.
A native
of Laurens, S.C., Sturgeon recorded two birdies and three bogeys on the
front nine to make the turn at 1-over. He got his round back to even
par with a birdie on the par-3 12th but gave the stroke back on the
next hole with a bogey on No. 13. After two consecutive pars, he triple
bogeyed the par-4 16th before recording par on the 17th and birdie on
No. 18 to conclude the afternoon at 3-over.
“He played great
from start to finish and made one bad golf swing all week on 16 that
cost him three shots,” McDonald said. “He carried the team for the most
part. I was really proud of him. He showed a lot of character when he
came back and made par and birdie after making the triple on 16. A
runner-up finish in this conference is nothing to be ashamed of. It
should give him a lot of confidence going forward.”
Senior Dykes
Harbin had a solid weekend in his final SEC Championship appearance as
he claimed his fourth top-10 finish of the season, finishing tied for
seventh with a total of 212 (+2). He carded a final-round 72 (+2),
which included two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.
Making
his SEC Championship debut, freshman Matt NeSmith struggled to a 79
(+9) in the final round but managed to come away with a tie for 20th
finish with a total of 218 (+8). It is his eighth top-20 finish of the
season.
Sophomore Sean Kelly just missed sneaking into the top
20 as he shot a final-round 75 (+5) to wrap up the weekend in a tie for
23rd with a total of 219 (+9). Rounding out the lineup, freshman Will
Starke finished in a tie for 63rd with a total of 229 (+19) after
turning in a 75 (+5) on Sunday.
Auburn finished third in the
team standings with a total of 860 (+20), followed by Texas A&M
(864) and Mississippi State (866).
The Gamecocks will now wait
for the NCAA Regional pairings to be announced on May 6. Carolina will
be selected to compete in one of the following regionals: Baton Rouge,
La., Tallahassee, Fla., Columbus, Ohio, Fayetteville, Ark., Pullman,
Wash., or Tempe, Ariz.
SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
2. Caleb Sturgeon (2) 65-67-73=205 (-5)
T7. Dykes Harbin (1) 69-71-72=212 (+2)
T20. Matt NeSmith (3) 69-70-79=218 (+8)
T23. Sean Kelly (4) 76-68-75=219 (+9)
T63. Will Starke (5) 79-75-75=229 (+19)
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1.
Alabama
283-275-290=848 (+8)
2. South Carolina 279-276-295=850 (+10)
3.
Auburn
275-289-296=860 (+20)
4. Texas
A&M
285-281-298=864 (+24)
5. Mississippi State 286-286-294=866 (+26)
6.
Arkansas
297-280-291=868 (+28)
T7.
Vanderbilt
295-282-298=875 (+35)
T7.
Missouri
292-290-293=875 (+35)
9.
Georgia
281-289-306=876 (+36)
10.
Florida
301-289-290=880 (+40)
11.
LSU
288-296-297=881 (+41)
12.
Mississippi
297-295-297=889 (+49)
13.
Kentucky
291-302-297=890 (+50)
14.
Tennessee
299-293-303=895 (+55)
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