Co-host USF men’s golf registers a 13-shot victory at the site of the program’s 2015 NCAA Championship match play quarterfinals appearance.
Albin Bergstrom earns runner-up honors while seven of eight Bulls put together top-25 performances.
BRADENTON, Fla., MARCH 10, 2020 – Co-host USF men’s golf hoisted its first team trophy of the season after securing a wire-to-wire win at The Challenge at Concession on Tuesday.
Head coach Steve Bradley’s Bulls built a 13-shot lead through 36 holes and won by the same margin at The Concession Golf Club, the site of USF’s 2015 NCAA Championship appearance. Three Bulls in the lineup put together top-10 performances in windy conditions and four finished in the top 25 at the challenging course designed by Jack Nicklaus in association with Tony Jacklin.
Tuesday marked USF’s 19th team victory under the guidance of Bradley since his Bulls debut in 2014-15. USF has captured at least one title in each season with Bradley at the helm – 2014-15 (5), 2015-16 (4), 2016-17 (2), 2017-18 (5), 2018-19 (2), 2019-20 (1).
Albin Bergstrom earned runner-up honors for the second time this season with a final score of 4-over 220 (74-68-78) after taking a two-shot lead into the final round. The sophomore from Ljunghusen, Sweden posted the lowest score of the tournament during the second round when he carded six of his 11 total birdies.
Luke Gifford led the lineup in the final round with an even-par 72 that included four birdies and tied for third at 5-over. The sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., is on an impressive run of six straight top-10 finishes.
Senior Kyle Flexsenhar (Lake Mary, Fla.) tied for ninth on his birthday at 12-over (75-76-77), just days after qualifying for the Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada.
Freshman Runchanapong Youprayong (Bangkok, Thailand) tied for 24th at 18-over, while seven of eight total Bulls competing placed inside the top 25.
Playing as an individual, junior Cole Castro (Homestead, Fla.) registered USF’s lowest overall score of the final round (71) and placed 11th at 13-over.
Just a shot behind Castro was fellow individual Anthony Muttillo (Boca Raton, Fla.), who carded a 73 in the final round and tied for 12th place. Sophomore Massimo Mbetse tied for 21st place at 17-over in the same city where he was a standout for Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School.
USF Lineup Scores
| 1 | South Florida | 299 | 300 | 300 | 899 |
| 2 | Albin Bergstrom (2) | 74 | 68 | 78 | 220 |
| T3 | Luke Gifford (1) | 74 | 75 | 72 | 221 |
| T9 | Kyle Flexsenhar (3) | 75 | 76 | 77 | 228 |
| T24 | Run Youprayong (4) | 76 | 83 | 75 | 234 |
| T32 | Sam Nicholson (5) | 79 | 81 | 76 | 236 |
Individual Scores
| Pos. | Player (Team) | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Total |
| 11 | Cole Castro (South Florida) | 79 | 79 | 71 | 229 |
| T12 | Anthony Muttillo (South Florida) | 78 | 79 | 73 | 230 |
| T21 | Massimo Mbetse (South Florida) | 79 | 73 | 81 | 233 |
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the wire-to-wire win:
“I’m obviously happy but relieved. It was a stressful 54 holes. This is a demanding, difficult golf course with the wind, conditions and the way it plays. Any time you get an opportunity to win as a team, it’s certainly special. We were able to get the job done today. I’m extremely proud of the guys and the way they handled adversity.”
Bradley’s thoughts an impressive overall performance by USF, which placed seven of eight competitors in the top 25:
“I think they had a good couple days of prep. We had a chance to get out here last week and play one round, which I think certainly helped us out from a visualization and game plan point of view. They battled and that’s probably the thing I was most impressed with – how they handled their business. They knew they were going to make some bogeys and doubles, and they just continued to fight. All of them, one through eight, did a heckuva job this week and it was really a team effort. Those guys in the five get the accolades for winning, but it’s the other three guys that pushed the five to continue to get better. They all are pushing for a same, common goal and that’s to be the best team they can possibly be.”
Notables
- USF has won at least one tournament each season since head coach Steve Bradley’s program debut in 2014-15. Bradley has led the Bulls to 19 total victories – 2014-15 (5), 2015-16 (4), 2016-17 (2), 2017-18 (5), 2018-19 (2), 2019-20 (1).
- USF led the 11-team field with 152 pars and tied with co-host Ohio State for the most birdies (41).
- USF is on a red-hot run of five straight top-three finishes. The Bulls have placed fourth or better in seven consecutive tournaments.
- The Concession Golf Club was the site of USF’s match play quarterfinals appearance at the 2015 NCAA Championship.
Up Next
USF will travel to Palm City, Fla., to compete in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational March 16-17 at Floridian National Golf Club. The final round will be streamed live on Golfweek.com and Golfstat.com.
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.
