Luke Gifford cards a career best 8-under 64 in the final round, ties for third at 9-under in his fifth straight top-10 finish.
USF men’s golf shoots 11-under in the final round to secure its fourth consecutive top-three finish.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., MARCH 2, 2020 – Luke Gifford’s red-hot final round helped USF men’s golf post its fourth straight top-three finish Tuesday at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate.
Defending champion USF saved its best round of this year’s event for last, carding an 11-under 277 and placing third in the 15-team field at 14-under. Head coach Steve Bradley’s Bulls have placed third or better five times this season and they’re on a run of six straight top-five finishes.
Gifford set a new career best with an 8-under 64 and jumped up 10 spots on the leaderboard to a tie for third in the 78-player field at 9-under. The sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., made his second eagle of the tournament Tuesday, when he collected eight of his 15 total birdies.
Gifford extended his top-10 finish streak to five straight tournaments, dating back to his co-medalist performance at the Marquette Intercollegiate on Oct. 8. USF’s season leader in scoring average (70.67) registered a 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round and already has eight rounds in the 60s during the 2019-20 campaign.
Albin Bergstrom, last year’s medalist at the event, carded three straight rounds of par or better (69-72-70) and tied for eighth at 5-under. The sophomore from Ljunghusen, Sweden now has four top-10 finishes in seven events this season.
Sophomore Massimo Mbetse (Bradenton, Fla./South Africa) tied for 19th place at even par (74-70-72) in his third top-25 showing of the season.
Playing as an individual, freshman Sam Nicholson (Atlantic Beach, Fla.) also tied for 19th place with an even-par 216 (73-71-72).
USF Lineup Scores
| 3 | South Florida | 290 | 283 | 277 | 850 |
| T3 | Luke Gifford (1) | 75 | 68 | 64 | 207 |
| T8 | Albin Bergstrom (2) | 69 | 72 | 70 | 211 |
| T19 | Massimo Mbetse (5) | 74 | 70 | 72 | 216 |
| T30 | Run Youprayong (3) | 74 | 74 | 71 | 219 |
| T41 | Cole Castro (4) | 73 | 73 | 76 | 222 |
Notables
- USF has posted four straight top-three finishes. The Bulls have placed in the top five in six consecutive events.
- Luke Gifford tied for the lowest par-4 scoring average at the event (3.77, -7) and also was solid in par-5 scoring (4.50, -6).
- USF tied for the tournament lead with four eagles – Luke Gifford (2), Albin Bergstrom (1), Massimo Mbetse (1).
- The Bulls tied for second in the field with a par-5 scoring average of 4.58 (-25).
- Sam Nicholson tied for fourth in the field with 38 total pars.
Up Next
USF is set to co-host The Challenge at Concession March 9-10 in Bradenton, Fla. The event will take place at Concession Golf Club, where the Bulls advanced to the match play quarterfinals in the 2015 NCAA Championship.
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.
