USF men’s golf returns to the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate after sweeping the team and individual awards at the event last spring.
EVENT: Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate
DATES: Monday, March 2 – Tuesday, March 3
LOCATION: Fort Lauderdale Country Club, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
COURSE INFO: North Course – par 72, 7,052 yards
FOLLOW: Live scoring | Twitter @USFMGolf
TAMPA, MARCH 1, 2020 – USF men’s golf has traveled down to the Sunshine State’s Southeastern coast to defend two titles at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate.
Action at the two-day event begins with 36 holes Monday at Fort Lauderdale Country Club’s recently redesigned North Course (par 72, 7,052 yards).
Last spring, head coach Steve Bradley’s Bulls ran away from the field in a 23-shot, wire-to-wire win at the event. Albin Bergstrom hoisted the individual trophy after setting the program’s new 54-hole scoring record for a par-72 tournament with a 15-under 201 in his nine-shot victory.
USF will tee off in its second team event of the spring season following an impressive finish on Feb. 16. Carding an even-par 280 in the final round, the Bulls tied for third place in the 15-team field at the Florida Gators Invitational.
The Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate will mark the start of three tournaments in a three-week span for the Bulls. USF will co-host The Challenge at Concession March 9-10 in Bradenton, Fla., and compete in the Valspar Invitational March 15-17 at Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City.
Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate Field
USF, host Loyola Maryland, Lynn (No. 3 in D-II), UConn, Davidson, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, George Mason, Mercer, St. John’s, Towson, Utah Valley, Villanova and Western Carolina.
The Lineup
- Luke Gifford – The sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., is on a run of four straight top-10 finishes after tying for 10th place at the Florida Gators Invitational on Feb. 16. Gifford earned co-medalist honors at the Marquette Intercollegiate on Oct. 8. Through 18 rounds this season, Gifford leads the Bulls in scoring average (70.94), rounds of par or better (12), top-10 finishes (4) and top-25 performances (5).
- Albin Bergstrom – The sophomore from Ljunghusen, Sweden looks to defend his title at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate. Last spring, Bergstrom set USF’s new 36- and 54-hole scoring records for a par-72 tournament on the way to securing his first individual collegiate victory. Bergstrom ranks second on the team with a 71.50 scoring average this season.
- Runchanapong Youprayong – The freshman from Bangkok, Thailand shined the last time out, tying for 18th place at the Florida Gators Invitational. Youprayong has posted two top-25 finishes in his first five events.
- Cole Castro – The junior from Homestead, Fla., will make his spring debut after returning from an injury. Castro, a first-year Bull, tied for fourth at the Fort Lauderdale Intercollegiate last spring with a 4-under 212 as a member of FGCU’s squad. Castro made a hole-in-one on the eighth hole during Saturday’s practice round at Fort Lauderdale Country Club’s North Course.
- Massimo Mbetse – The sophomore from Bradenton, Fla./South Africa will compete in a tournament of seventh time this season and was in the lineup for USF’s spring opener. Prior to that, Mbetse tied for 13th at the Georgia Southern Individual Collegiate on Feb. 3.
Individual: Sam Nicholson – Back in action following an injury, the freshman from Atlantic Beach, Fla., will compete in his sixth event of the season and first since tying for 16th place at the Georgia Southern Individual Collegiate on Feb. 3.
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the Bulls’ return to Fort Lauderdale Country Club’s new-look North Course:
“They’ve completed renovated the golf course since we last played there. They’ve redone the fairways and the greens. They’ve rerouted the golf course, so it will essentially be a new golf course for us, which is exciting to see. Our No. 1 objective is to claim a team title and hopefully get somebody in the mix for an individual title. I think we’ve got some guys capable of battling for that. We’re looking to continue the positive momentum from UF and hopefully we can turn that into a win down in Fort Lauderdale.”
Notables
- Senior Kyle Flexsenhar (Lake Mary, Fla.) is set to participate in a Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada qualifying tournament that takes place Tuesday through Friday at Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. Learn more HERE.
- USF is seeking its first team tournament title of the season. The Bulls are on a run over five consecutive top-five finishes.
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.
