Bergstrom Leads Bulls in First Round of Valspar Collegiate

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

Albin Bergstrom extended his par-or-better streak to 13 rounds with a 1-under 70 that has the freshman five shots off the lead.

No. 20 USF men’s golf is in 15th place at the event that features nine other top-25 teams, including six top-10 programs.

PALM CITY, Fla., MARCH 17, 2019 – Freshman Albin Bergstrom extended his par-or-better streak to 13 rounds while leading the Bulls in Sunday’s opening action at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational.

Ranked No. 42 nationally, Bergstrom collected four birdies and shot par or better on 15 holes on the way to carding a 1-under 70 at Floridian National Golf Club (par 71, 6,921 yards). Bergstrom (Ljunghusen, Sweden) is tied for 17th place and five shots away from leader and top-ranked Matthew Wolff of No. 1 Oklahoma State.

No. 20 USF (+13) is currently in 15th place at the event that features nine other top-25 teams, including six programs ranked inside the top 10. No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 30 Florida State and No. 31 South Carolina lead the field at 6-under and they’re followed in the top five by No. 1 Oklahoma State (-5) and No. 13 Auburn (-3).

The tournament was originally scheduled for three days of action, but teams will now play 36 holes Monday due to rain in the forecast for Tuesday.

Kyle Flexsenhar is one shot outside the top 25 after carding a 1-over 72 in the opening round. The junior from Lake Mary, Fla., registered three of his team-best six birdies during an even-par run on the front nine.

Just a shot behind Flexsenhar is Ryoto Furuya, who made par on 13 holes during his round of 73. The junior from Alpharetta, Ga., collected one of his two total birdies while shooting 1-under on the back nine.

USF Scores

15South Florida297297
T17Albin Bergstrom (2)7070
T30Kyle Flexsenhar (3)7272
T41Ryoto Furuya (5)7373
83Luke Gifford (1)8282
84Anthony Muttillo (4)8484

 
Notables

  • Albin Bergstrom has shot par or better in each of his past 13 rounds, dating back to the fall finale at the Quail Valley Intercollegiate. The freshman posted a par-5 scoring average of 4.75 (-1) and finished with even-par averages on par-3 and 4 holes Sunday.
  • USF won two straight tournaments in wire-to-wire fashion before teeing off at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational.
  • Ryoto Furuya led the lineup with 13 pars and shot par or better on 15 holes.
  • Kyle Flexsenhar led the Bulls with six birdies.

Up Next
USF will start its second round on the 10th hole Monday and freshman Anthony Muttillo will lead things off at 9:40 a.m.
 
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