USF shoots -17 in final round as all players post -2 or better;
Defending champion Albin Bergstrom finishes fifth after final round 69
BROOKSVILLE, FLA., APRIL 24, 2022 – USF sophomore Run Youprayong (Bangkok, Thailand) fired a 5-under par 67 leading a USF charge in the final round that saw he and the Bulls finish second at the 2022 American Athletic Conference Golf Championship at Southern Hills Plantation in Brooksville, Fla.
The defending champion USF men’s golf team started the day in third and was ready for a charge, nearly equaling its single-round tournament record (-18) set in last year’s first round as the Bulls fired a -17 total on Sunday with every player shooting 2-under or better on the day.
The Bulls 271 on the day, the lowest round posted by any team in the tournament, saw USF charging on the back nine, but No. 2-seed SMU shot a 12-under 276 to hold on to its lead and claim the team title with a tournament record score of 29-under par 835. USF posted a three-round total of 20-under par 844 (286, 287, 271), four shots in front of third-place Houston at 16-under 848.
Defending champion Albin Bergstrom (Falsterbo, Sweden) closed with a 3-under 69 to finish tied for fifth at 7-under 209. The junior posted two birdies and an eagle (at No. 15) on the back nine and finished the tournament with rounds of 69, 71 and 69. He increased his program-record to 30 rounds of par or better on the year and logged his eighth top 10 finish of the year.
Youprayong posted an unblemished card on the day, recording four birdies in his last five holes on the front nine and adding one more on the back side for an 11-under total of 205 and a tie for second with rounds of 71, 67 and 67. SMU’s Nathan Petronzio, who paced the field with an opening round 68 and followed that up with a 66 on Saturday, claimed medalist honors with a final round 69 and 13-under total of 203.
Junior Luke Gifford (Boca Raton) shot a 2-under 70 on Sunday to finish tied for 18th at even par on the tournament with rounds of 72, 74 and 70.
Sophomore Sam Nicholson (Atlantic Beach) finished 21st at 1-over par after shooting a sizzling 4-under 68 on Sunday. Nicholson posted six birdies on the day and a pair of bogeys as he finished the tournament with rounds of 74, 75 and 68.
Freshman Shubham Jaglan (Delhi, India), who entered the line-up for the Bulls on Saturday and shot a 6-over 78, showed his tremendous talent on Sunday firing a 5-under par 67 that included six birdies and one bogey.
QUOTABLE
“It was a bit of a rollercoaster this week. We thought after the first round we were in position to do something, but we just didn’t play very good in round two and kind of went into today with a who cares attitude. Playing conservative wasn’t going to get anything done for us. I think the guys really kind of freed up and consequently you saw the result. All five guys played really good. I’m really proud of Run’s effort. It was awesome to see him get in contention and how he handled pressure and nerves.”
- Head Coach Steve Bradley
“From tee to green was really good this week and I gave myself a lot of opportunities and some went in and some didn’t go in, but I am very proud of the way I hit it this week.”
– Sophomore Run Youprayong
NOTABLE
• Junior Albin Bergstrom currently has the Bulls’ best-ever career scoring average (70.26), more than a stroke better than Chase Koepka’s previous mark of 71.53.
• Bergstrom’s 69.23 season scoring average is on pace to break his own USF record of 70.00 set in 2018-19.
• Bergstrom reached as high as the No. 4 ranking in early March and currently sits at No. 21. Chase Koepka owns the USF record of a No. 11 final season national scorer rating.
• Bergstrom is the highest ranked player the American Athletic Conference and third in the state of Florida.
• Bergstrom has 30 par or better rounds on the year and 86 on his career, setting a USF career mark and season record.
• Bergstrom also 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) and low 54-hole total (201, -11, 2018-19).
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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– #GoBulls –
