USF ATHLETICS
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DATE: MARCH 12, 2019
Bulls Post Wire-to-Wire Win at USF Invitational
No. 22 USF led from start to finish on the way to capturing the USF Invitational title for the second straight year.
The Bulls also have won consecutive tournaments after topping the field at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate on March 5.
TAMPA, MARCH 12, 2019 – Head coach Steve Bradley’s host Bulls defended their USF Invitational title in wire-to-wire fashion Tuesday at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club.
No. 22 USF carded a 6-under 282 team score in the final round and finished with a 10-under 854 in its 12-shot victory. The Bulls have won two tournaments in a row and also led from start to finish at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate earlier this month.
Albin Bergstrom added another shining chapter to his stellar freshman season by placing second in the 84-player USF Invitational field at 7-under (69-72-68). The Ljunghusen, Sweden native has shot par or better in 12 straight rounds and posted his fifth consecutive top-five finish following an individual title victory at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate.
Kyle Flexsenhar registered his second top-five finish of the season by placing fifth at 2-under (68-74-72). The junior from Lake Mary, Fla., ranked second on the team with 13 total birdies and tied for the lead in the field with a par-3 scoring average of 2.75 (-3).
USF had four players place in the top 10 and Ryoto Furuya tied for sixth at 1-under. The junior from Alpharetta, Ga., opened the tournament with a 69 and finished with an even-par 72 in his third top-10 performance of the season.
Freshman Luke Gifford tied for eighth at even par in his second straight top-10 finish. The Boca Raton, Fla., native finished strong by shooting par or better on 16 holes on the way to turning in a 2-under 70 in the final round.
USF also got a solid performance in the final round from freshman Anthony Muttillo (Boca Raton, Fla.), who improved on his first-round score by five shots with a 73.
USF Lineup Scores
| Pos. | Team/Player (seed) | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Total |
| 1 | South Florida | 279 | 293 | 282 | 854 |
| 2 | Albin Bergstrom (1) | 69 | 72 | 68 | 209 |
| 5 | Kyle Flexsenhar (3) | 68 | 74 | 72 | 214 |
| T6 | Ryoto Furuya (5) | 69 | 74 | 72 | 215 |
| T8 | Luke Gifford (2) | 73 | 73 | 70 | 216 |
| T38 | Anthony Muttillo (4) | 78 | 77 | 73 | 228 |
Quotable
Assistant coach Brad Caldwell on how special it is for the program to post back-to-back tournament victories:
“You don’t get a chance to win as a team every week you tee off. Golf is not that game where you win a majority of the time, so anytime you get a chance to win as a team it’s super special. We’re happy with the win, but we’ve got a quick turnaround for next week. We’ll check this off the box again and we’re already looking forward to The Floridian.”
Caldwell on the importance of continued success with a young lineup heading into the Valspar Invitational:
“We leave for the Valspar Championship this weekend. It’s a 15-team field and we’re probably the 13th-highest ranked team. It’s a great preview for a regional and national championship. For us to go in there off two wins, playing some really solid golf, it gives us some great confidence.”
Notables
- USF won its second straight tournament in wire-to-wire fashion after a 23-shot victory at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate on March 5.
- Tuesday marked USF’s second tournament team title victory of the season and the 18th under the guidance of head coach Steve Bradley since his Bulls debut in 2014-15. USF has captured multiples titles in each season with Bradley at the helm – 2014-15 (5), 2015-16 (4), 2016-17 (2), 2017-18 (5), 2018-19 (2).
- The Bulls won the USF Invitational for the second straight season and both victories were produced in wire-to-wire fashion.
- USF led this year’s 15-team field with a par-3 scoring average of 2.92 (-5) and also in par-4 scoring (4.09). The Bulls collected the most birdies (55) and tied for the lead with 164 total pars.
Up Next
USF continues its busy stretch at the three-day Valspar Invitational, which begins Sunday at The Floridian in Palm City.
About USF Men’s Golf
USF men’s golf has captured the past four American Athletic Conference Championship titles in wire-to-wire fashion and made six straight trips to NCAA Regionals. The program is led by Steve Bradley, who has earned American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors the past four seasons. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
Tom Zebold
USF Senior Writer
