Senior Sam Nicholson records his first career individual victory.
TAMPA, FLA., October 10, 2023 – The University of South Florida men’s golf team notched the Bulls’ first win of the 2023-24 season on Tuesday, and second win at the USF Invitational, tying Stetson for first place at -16 in the 54-hole event at the Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla.
Senior Sam Nicholson, competing as an individual, earned the first win of his career, closing with a 70 (-2) in the final round to tie for first at 203 (-13). Nicholson tied a program record for the lowest 36-hole total, shooting 133 (-11) in the first two rounds on Monday. He opened with a 68 (-4) in the first round and followed with a 65 (-7) in round two. He now has two career top-five finishes.
South Florida was in third place, six shots back, after the first two rounds. A final round of 287 (-1) made up the difference. USF made a big move with a 272 (-14), the low team round of the tournament, in the second round to move up five spots into third entering Tuesday’s final round.
The victory marked the 22nd tournament win under head coach Steve Bradley, a program record, and the 53rd top-five finish under the five-time AAC Coach of the Year who is in his 10th season.
For the Bulls, it is the second win in the USF Invitational, South Florida won the last event on March 12, 2018, with a dominant, wire-to-wire victory, outpacing the field by 29 shots. The Bulls’ last win overall came at the Ross Collegiate Classic on March 14, 2023.
Jake Peacock (Milton, Ga.), joined Nicholson in the top five, and finished at 209 (-7) in a tie for fourth. Peacock was under par in his first two rounds, opening with a 70 (-2) and 66 (-6) before closing with a 73 (+1), Peacock now has four top-10 finishes as a Bull.
Graduate student Brock Healy (Norcross, Ga.) finished just outside the top-10, finishing tied for 11th at 210 (-6). Healy opened with a 74 (+2) before posting two rounds under par at 66 (-6) in the second round and 71 (-1) in the third round.
Redshirt junior Cooper Smith (Tampa) joined his teammate Healy at T11. Smith improved each round. He opened with a 72 (E), followed by a 71 (-1) and a closing round 68 (-4).
Sophomore Nino Palmquist (Halmstad, Sweden) finished tied for 32nd, shooting rounds of 73 (+1), 69 (-3) and 76 (+4) for a 54-total of 218 (+2)
Junior Shubham Jaglan (Delhi, India), finished tied for 51st with a three-round total of 223 (+7).
Competing as individuals, junior Chase Gullikson (Orlando, Fla.) came in tied for 55th at 224 (+8) and freshman Wilhelm Ryding (Tyreso, Sweden) finished tied for 67th at 229 (+13)
Bulls Team Scores
Place RD1 RD2 TOTAL
T4 Jake Peacock (Jr., Milton, Ga.) 70 66 73 -7 (209)
T11 Brock Healy (Gr., Norcross, Ga.) 74 66 71 -5 (211)
T11 Cooper Smith (Redshirt Jr., Tampa, Fla.) 72 71 68 -5 (211)
T32 Nino Palmquist (Gr./Knoxville, Ten.) 73 69 76 +2 (218)
T51 Shubham Jaglan (Jr., Delhi, India) 74 74 75 +7 (233)
Individual
T1 Sam Nicholson (Sr., Atlantic Beach, Fla.) 68 65 70 -13 (203)
T55 Chase Gullikson (Jr. Orlando, Fla.) 73 71 80 +8 (224)
T67 Wilhelm Ryding (Fr. Tyreso, Sweden) 80 70 79 +13 (229)
Tournament Team Scores
Place RD1 RD2 RD3 TOTAL
T1 USF 289 272 287 -16 (848)
T1 Stetson 278 277 293 -16 (848)
3 Lamar 279 280 296 -9 (855)
T4 Louisiana 283 287 286 -8 (856)
T4 Davidson 286 280 290 -8 (856)
6 Jacksonville State 289 280 289 -6 (858)
7 Florida Atlantic 291 284 284 -5 (859)
8 Wofford 289 291 286 +2 (866)
9 George Mason 287 285 297 +5 (869)
10 ECU 282 285 303 +6 (870)
T11 Troy 283 295 294 +8 (872)
T11 Delaware 292 283 297 +8 (872)
13 Georgia State 293 284 305 +18 (882)
14 FAMU 290 295 307 +28 (892)
Quoting Head Coach Steve Bradley
“I’m very proud of the entire team. Winning is hard, so getting it done feels good! We’ve talked a lot about accepting and adapting, we didn’t play great at times, but the guys keep battling and good things happened. I’m so happy for Sam to get his first victory. He’s always had the talent and it’s nice to see him put it all together, and realize what he’s capable of.”
Up Next
The Bulls will play the fourth and final event of the Fall schedule Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational on October 15-16 at Quail Valley GC in Vero Beach, Fla.
About USF Men’s Golf
The USF men’s golf program has captured 17 conference titles and has seen players earn 19 All-America honors. The Bulls have won five American Athletic Conference Tournament championships in wire-to-wire fashion, winning four-consecutive from 2015-18. The Bulls have had four individual conference champions, including Albin Bergstrom in 2021, and gone on to earn nine straight NCAA Regional appearances, including a 6th place finish in NCAA Championship match-play in 2015. USF is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times since taking over the program in 2014. The Bulls have posted 22 tournament wins under Bradley entering the 2023-24 season, by far the most under any coach in program history.
Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
– #GoBulls –
