USF men’s golf returns to competition following the program’s seventh consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.
Five returners will take on a talented field Friday through Sunday in Rocky Face, Ga.
EVENT: 31st annual Carpet Capital Collegiate
WHEN: Friday – Sunday (18 holes each day)
WHERE: The Farm Golf Club, Rocky Face, Ga.
COURSE INFO: Par 72, 7,180 yards
FOLLOW: Live scoring | Twitter updates @USFMGolf
TAMPA, SEPT. 5, 2019 – USF men’s golf has an opportunity to make a big statement right away in its fall season opener at the Carpet Capital Collegiate.
Action at the three-day tournament begins Friday at The Farm (par 72, 7,180 yards) in Rocky Face, Ga. The talented field features four top-25 programs and nine total teams ranked inside the top 50 by Golfstat.
USF is currently listed at No. 38 by Golfstat and No. 26 in the Golfweek preseason rankings after making the program’s seventh consecutive NCAA postseason appearance this past spring. The Bulls return six players from last season’s squad that earned a trip to the Stanford Regional, including 2019 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year Albin Bergstrom (Ljunghusen, Sweden).
The Carpet Capital Collegiate marks the first of five fall tournaments for USF. Following this weekend’s event, the Bulls will quickly turn their attention to the Windon Memorial Classic that begins Monday, Sept. 16 in Lake Forest, Ill. Sixth-year USF head coach Steve Bradley increased the strength of schedule overall to prepare the Bulls even better for their next postseason run.
Carpet Capital Collegiate Field
No. 11 Clemson, No. 12 Georgia Tech, No. 17 South Carolina, No. 19 North Florida, No. 32 Tennessee, No. 34 Alabama, No. 38 USF, No. 41 Colorado State, No. 45 Florida, Virginia, San Francisco, East Tennessee State, Kennesaw State, UNC-Charlotte and Chattanooga.
The Lineup
- Albin Bergstrom – The star sophomore set numerous program records last season on the way to earning Division I PING honorable mention and AAC Freshman of the Year accolades along with other notable honors. This summer, Bergstrom helped Sweden capture its first European Amateur Team Championship since 1961 in his hometown of Ljunghusen, Sweden. Find out more about Bergstrom HERE.
- Massimo Mbetse – The sophomore from Bradenton, Fla./South Africa was the Bulls’ top qualifier this preseason after teeing off in 16 total rounds as a freshman. Mbetse competed in the final round of the conference championship last spring and traveled to NCAA Regionals with the Bulls.
- Kyle Flexsenhar – The senior will provide more valuable leadership to the team following the 2018-19 season that saw the Lake Mary, Fla., native earn all-conference honors for the first time in his career. Last season, Flexsenhar finished second on the team with a 71.9 scoring average, four top-10 finishes and seven top-25 performances.
- Ryoto Furuya – The senior from Alpharetta, Ga., enters his second season with USF after competing in all 32 rounds in 2018-19. Furuya tied for second on the team with 17 rounds of par or better and had a 72.2 scoring average in his first run with the Bulls.
- Luke Gifford – The sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., was in the lineup for all 32 rounds last season and was dependable with a 72.6 scoring average. Gifford also tied for third on the team with six top-25 finishes after earning Palm Beach County/Sun-Sentinel Player of the Year honors as a high school senior.
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley’s on USF’s preseason progress after the Bulls headed to Georgia early to avoid potential travel complications due to Hurricane Dorian:
“It’s been a little chaotic. We played four rounds of qualifying and we had to deal with some rain, so we didn’t quite get in all 72 holes. But we’ve got the best five guys here that played over the week and ultimately qualifying separated who those best five were. We played three different courses and it was nice to see them perform under pressure when they knew roster spots were on the line for the travel squad. I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Bradley on the Carpet Capital Collegiate, which the Bulls last competed in back in fall 2015:
“It’s a golf course we played several years ago. I’m familiar with it, but none of the other guys are, so it was nice to be able to get out there and get some practice in. It’s a very good field and we need to play well in order to be competitive, just based off the strength of the field. One of the goals we identified this year was strengthening our schedule to toughen our guys up a little bit, so we can be a little bit more prepared come postseason. This is certainly a way to do it.”
Bradley’s thoughts on the lineup heading into the first tournament of the fall season:
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in this bunch. Hopefully they just go out and let their talent shine, and they don’t make too much of the situation.”
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.
