Gamecock Duo Earns Preseason Honors

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) — South Carolina seniors Matt NeSmith and Will Starke have been named to Golfweek‘s Preseason All-American teams, Golfweek announced Tuesday. NeSmith was one of 10 golfers to earn a spot on the first team, while Starke garnered third-team honors. Golfweek‘s Lance Ringler selected the teams. A native of North Augusta, S.C., NeSmith finished last season with a stroke average of 70.51, which ranks second in program history for a single season. He earned third-team All-America honors by both PING and Golfweek and was a first-team PING All-Southeast Region and All-SEC selection. He finished in the top 20 in eight of 12 tournaments, including two tournament wins. He became just the second Gamecock to win an SEC title as he claimed a six-stroke victory at the SEC Championship with a school-record 54-hole total of 196 (-14). A native of Chapin, S.C., Starke led the team with a stroke average of 70.27 in 2014-15, which is the lowest for a single season in school history. He garnered second-team All-America honors by both PING and Golfweek and was a first-team PING All-Southeast Region and All-SEC selection. He finished 16th or better in 10 of 12 events, including one tournament win, and matched the school record for top-five finishes in a season with six. He placed 16th at the NCAA Championship with a 72-hole total of 289 (+1). The Gamecocks opened the 2015-16 season over the weekend with a third-place finish at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. NeSmith tied for seventh at the event, while Starke finished tied for 47th. Carolina will be back in action on Sept. 28-29 at the Shoal Creek Invitational. The 54-hole event will be contested at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala. GOLFWEEK‘S PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS (SELECTED BY LANCE RINGLER) FIRST TEAM Maverick McNealy Stanford, Junior Jon Rahm Arizona State, Senior Bryson DeChambeau SMU, Senior Lee McCoy Georgia, Senior Robby Shelton Alabama, Junior Thomas Detry Illinois, Senior Jack Maguire Florida State, Junior Beau Hossler Texas, Junior Charlie Danielson Illinois, Senior Matt NeSmith South Carolina, Senior SECOND TEAM Sam Burns LSU, Freshman Max Rottluff Arizona State, Senior Hank Lebioda Florida State, Senior Jonathan Garrick UCLA, Senior Scottie Scheffler Texas, Sophomore Will Zalatoris Wake Forest, Sophomore Sean Crocker USC, Sophomore Matthias Schwab Vanderbilt, Junior Ben Griffin North Carolina, Sophomore Jordan Niebrugge Oklahoma State, Senior THIRD TEAM Will Starke South Carolina, Senior Zach Seabolt Winthrop, Junior Brandon Pierce LSU, Junior Adrian Meronk East Tennessee State, Senior Rowin Caron Florida State, Senior Gavin Hall Texas, Junior Rico Hoey USC, Junior Chase Koepka South Florida, Senior Aaron Wise Oregon, Sophomore Sam Horsfield Florida, Freshman