TOURNAMENT: NCAA Palm Beach Gardens Regional
WHEN: Final Round, Wednesday, May 18
LOCATION: Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
COURSE: PGA National Resort – Champion Course (Par 72, 7,048 yards)
FOLLOW: Live Scoring | Twitter @USFMGolf, @American_MWGolf
ONLINE: https://bit.ly/3wkB90m
USF Men’s Golf Fourth, Nicholson Second Entering Final Round of NCAA Regional Wednesday
Sophomore Sam Nicholson fires second round 71 to stand second at -5;
Bulls in position for the program’s fourth NCAA Championship berth, third in last eight years, among 14-team field in Palm Beach Gardens Regional
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA., MAY 17, 2022 – The University of South Florida Men’s Golf team came out hot on Day 2 of the NCAA Palm Beach Gardens Regional, logging 12 birdies on the front nine and seeing sophomore Sam Nicholson briefly claim the overall lead before a tough back nine slowed the momentum and saw USF finish the day fourth and Nicholson second in the 14-team, 74-player field.
The Bulls will look to maintain a top five position in Wednesday’s final round to advance to the program’s fourth NCAA Championship. USF posted a Day 2 score of 4-over par, 292 that kept them six shots clear of sixth place, while Nicholson maintained his position in second on the individual leaderboard after a 1-under par, 71 on the par 72, 7,048-yard PGA National Resort – Champion Course.
Making the program’s ninth-straight NCAA Regional appearance, USF stood second in the team standings and 5-under on the day (-3 for the tournament) after Tuesday’s opening 6-9 holes, but a 9-over par back nine saw the Bulls finish at +4 for the day and +6 for the tournament
USF was joined by elite company at the top of the team leaderboard. No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt, the top seed, posted a 6-under par, 282 on Tuesday to build on its opening 285 and maintain its team lead at -9 for the tournament. No. 22 Florida State rose up the leader board into second at even par for the tournament after posting tournament-best 9-under, 279 on Tuesday. No. 10 Florida was third at +2 after a 4-under, 284 Tuesday, while College of Charleston was fifth at +10, four strokes behind the Bulls, and No. 15 Notre Dame stood sixth at +12, six shots behind USF, after an 8-over, 296 on Tuesday.
The low five teams and the low individual not on one of those teams from each regional advance to the NCAA finals.
Nicholson (Atlantic Beach) continued the hot play that saw him post an opening round 68. He held the individual lead for several holes Tuesday after going 2-under through his first six holes, but gave back a stroke and finished with a strong 1-under 71 on the day. His two-round total of -5 has him in second alone, just one stroke behind leader Kieron van Wyk of College of Charleston who fired a 3-under par 69 for the second straight day and stands at -6.
There are 10 players under par in the tournament as the course is playing to a 75.29 average.
Junior Luke Gifford (Boca Raton) followed up his even par opening round, that had him standing 10th after Day 1, with an up and down second round that saw him post an eagle on the par 5 18th and three birdies alongside four bogeys and a double-bogey for a 2-over par total of 74. He stands T18 at +2 entering the final round.
AAC tournament runner-up Run Youprayong (Bangkok, Thailand) posted five birdies in his first six holes. However, after his blazing -4 start Tuesday, he went 5-over on the back nine and settled for a 1-over par 73 on the day. He stands at +5 and T29 entering the final round.
Freshman Shubham Jaglan (Delhi, India), who posted a final round 67 in the AAC Championship, followed up his 2-over par 74 in Monday’s first round with a 4-over par 76 on Tuesday that included four birdies but also a triple-bogey on the difficult par 4, 14th hole that is playing the toughest on the course this week at a 4.61 average. Jaglan stands at +6 and T34 entering the final round.
2022 AAC Player of the Year Albin Bergstrom (Falsterbo, Sweden) posted birdie on his first two holes on Tuesday but found trouble in the final 10 holes and posted a 2-over par 74 for the day. With an opening-round 80 on his card, stands at 10-over par and T50 entering the final round.
Action concludes Wednesday in Palm Beach Gardens. The 2022 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship will be held on May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The Bulls have advanced to the NCAA Championship three times (1987, 2015 and 2016), including reaching match play and posting a sixth-place finish in 2015 under five-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Steve Bradley.
TEAM CURRENT Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Total
1. (3) Vanderbilt -9 285 282 567
2. (22) Florida State E 297 279 576
3. (10) Florida +2 294 284 578
4. (40) USF +6 290 (2nd) 292 (4th) 582
5. College of Charleston +10 294 292 586
–– NCAA Qualifying Cut Line ––
6. (15) Notre Dame +12 292 296 588
8 Teams at +19 or higher
Player CURRENT Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 TOTAL
Sam Nicholson -5 (T2) -4 (68)* -1 (71)* 139
Luke Gifford +2 (T18) E (72)* +2 (74)* 146
Run Youprayong +5 (T29) +4 (76)* +1 (73)* 149
Shubham Jaglan +6 (T34) +2 (74)* +4 (76) 150
Albin Bergstroom +10 (T50) +8 (80) +2 (74)* 154
* score counted in team score
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 seven 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 have earned nine straight NCAA Regional appearances, including posting 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.
Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.
– #GoBulls –
