Bergstrom shoots opening round 66, posts sixth top 10 in last seven outings
BLUFFTON, S.C., MARCH 8, 2022 – Defending American Athletic Conference Champion Albin Bergstrom (Falsterbo, Sweden) posted an opening round 66 and held the lead for several holes before finishing third, one stroke behind the winners, at the Colleton River Collegiate in Bluffton, S.C.
The No. 26-ranked USF men’s golf team also made a charge, getting within three strokes of the lead on Tuesday, before finishing sixth in the 15-team field on the Jack Nicklaus designed, par 72 course. The Bulls shot 283-286-284 to finish 11-under par 853. Georgia Southern won the tournament with a 30-under par 834.
For Bergstrom, it marked his sixth top 10 finish in seven outings and followed his jump this week three spots to the No. 6-ranking nationally, the highest in the state of Florida and in The American. Bergstrom came out hot posting a birdie on No. 2 and an eagle on the par 5 No. 3 to open an early five shot lead. He got two more birdies on the front side before a bogey on No. 8 and a triple bogey on No. 9 brought him back to the pack. He finished with a closing round 69, recovering with three birdies on the back side, but a bogey on No. 18 left him one stroke short of victory as he posted rounds of 66, 68, 69 for a 13-under par total of 203.
Ohio State’s Adam Wallin shot a final round 7-under par 65 and Kansas State’s Luke O’Neill posted a 6-under par 66 to tie atop the leader board with a 14-under par total of 202.
Sophomore Sam Nicholson (Atlantic Beach) posted rounds of 71, 71, 72 for a 2-under total of 214 and a T18 finish. Junior Luke Gifford (Boca Raton) finished T35 with rounds of 73, 74, 72 and a total of 219. Sophomore Run Youprayong (Bangkok, Thailand) finished T41 after a closing round 71 gave him a total of 220. Freshman Shubham Jaglan (New Delhi, India) posted an opening round 73, but finished with a 76 to finish T54 with a total f 224.
NOTABLE
• Junior Albin Bergstrom currently has the Bulls’ best-ever career scoring average (70.37), more than a stroke better than Koepka’s previous mark of 71.53.
• Bergstrom’s 69.17 season scoring average is on pace to break his own USF record of 70.00 set in 2018-19, as is his current national ranking of No. 6, which is two better than Chase Koepka’s USF record of a No. 11 final season national scorer rating.
• Bergstrom is the highest ranked player in the state of Florida and in the American Athletic Conference.
• Bergstrom owns USF career records for scoring average (70.45), tournament low round (63, 2019-20), tournament low round to par (-9, 2019-20), tournament low 36-hole total (133, -11, 2018-19), and is second in wins (3), low 54-hole total (201, -11, 2018-19) and third in par or better rounds (72).
UP NEXT
USF will take a week off before heading to the Linger Longer Invitational on the Great Waters Course in Lake Oconee, Ga. March 20-22.
About USF Men’s Golf
USF men’s golf program has captured 17 conference titles, including in 2021, and have seen players earn 19 All-America honors. The Bulls have won five of the last six 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 eight straight NCAA Regionals 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 20 tournament wins under Bradley entering the 2021-22 season, by far the most under any coach in program history.
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