DATE: MAY 14, 2019
USF finished Tuesday’s second round in eighth place at 5-over, eight shots away from fifth place.
The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championship rounds set for May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
STANFORD, Calif., MAY 14, 2019 – USF men’s golf is determined to mount a memorable comeback in the final round of the Stanford Regional.
After opening the tournament in a tie for fifth, USF carded a 3-over 283 team score Tuesday and finished the second round in eighth place at 5-over. The Bulls are currently eight shots away from fifth place with 18 more holes to go Wednesday at Stanford Golf Course (par 70, 6,727 yards).
The low five teams from each of the six 54-hole regional tournaments advance to the NCAA Championship rounds that take place May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
USF started its second round in stride, shooting 4-under as a team through the first eight holes of the back nine. Ryoto Furuya helped lead the charge with an eagle on the par-5, 500-yard 16th hole and a birdie on No. 17.
Furuya ended up shooting par or better on 17 holes on the way to posting a 2-under 68, USF’s low score of the day. The solid round moved the junior from Alpharetta, Ga., up nine spots on the leaderboard to a tie for 16th place at 1-under.
Albin Bergstrom still leads the Bulls overall with a 2-under score that has The American Freshman in a Year in a tie for 11th place and five shots off the individual lead. The Ljunghusen, Sweden native contributed to USF’s red-hot start to the day by birdieing holes 14-16.
The Bulls are making the program’s seventh straight NCAA Regional appearance and they’re looking to book a trip to the NCAA Championship rounds for the first time since 2016.
USF Scores
| 8 | South Florida | 282 | 283 | 565 |
| T11 | Albin Bergstrom (1) | 67 | 71 | 138 |
| T16 | Ryoto Furuya (3) | 71 | 68 | 139 |
| T34 | Luke Gifford (4) | 71 | 72 | 143 |
| T55 | Kyle Flexsenhar (2) | 74 | 72 | 146 |
| T55 | Amadeo Figus (5) | 73 | 73 | 146 |
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on USF’s second round:
“We got off to a better start this morning. We actually turned the back nine, which was our front nine, pretty well and felt like we were in good shape going to the first hole. It’s a par-5 that’s certainly birdie-able, but we didn’t make any birdies there. We just couldn’t seem to get anything going. The front nine is easier statistically, but for whatever reason we just haven’t made a whole lot of birdies on it. We just are not executing when we should be. It certainly wasn’t what we wanted today but we’ve got 18 holes to play. All we can do is control what we can control. We just need to play better golf tomorrow or our season is over. I’m interested to see how the guys respond.”
Bradley’s thoughts on the Bulls’ ability to rally in the final round for a chance to earn a top-five spot:
“It’s certainly doable. We’ve got the talent to do it. The guys have been playing pretty good, so I know they believe that they can do it and that’s the most important thing.”
Bradley on Ryoto Furuya’s solid second round:
“He certainly carried us today by playing solid and getting it going. Even after the double bogey, he ended up making a birdie a couple holes later. It was nice to see him bounce back like that. He was solid for us today.”
Notables
- USF is making its seventh straight NCAA Regional appearance with a new-look lineup. Only junior Kyle Flexsenhar has returned to the lineup this season from USF’s senior-laden squad that competed in the Kissimmee, Fla., Regional last spring.
- USF ranks third in the 13-team Stanford Regional field with a par-5 scoring average of 4.53 (-14).
- The Bulls are one of four teams that have carded multiple eagles at the tournament. Luke Gifford eagled the 16th hole in the first round and Ryoto Furuya accomplished the feat on the same hole Tuesday.
- Albin Bergstrom leads the Bulls with nine total birdies and he’s shot par or better on 29 holes so far.
Up Next
Amadeo Figus will lead off USF’s final round on the first hole starting Wednesday at noon (EST).
About USF Men’s Golf
USF men’s golf captured four consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship titles in wire-to-wire fashion prior to 2019 and has earned seven straight trips to NCAA Regionals. The program is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year four times. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
