Gamecock Golf Set For Fall Season Finale In Hawaii
COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) – The South Carolina men’s golf team travels 4,624 miles west this weekend to compete in the final tournament on the team’s fall schedule, the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic. The tournament, which is set to be played at Ka’anapali Golf Club in Lahaina, Hawaii, runs Friday through Sunday.
Every round of the 54-hole stroke-play event will begin with a shotgun start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
“It’s always nice to come to Maui,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “If the forecast holds, it appears we will have some pretty strong winds to play in much like last year. The greens are grainy as well, but the golf course is in excellent condition overall. I’m looking forward to seeing how the team responds from a disappointing finish at Camden. We will be tested this week, as it’s an excellent field as always.”
Carolina has finished in the top-five in two of its three tournaments this fall and will look to finish strong in Hawaii. The team is fresh off a runner-up finish at the Camden Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 22-23. Junior Keenan Huskey shot 5-under-par and earned runner-up medalist honors at the event. Huskey has finished in the top-20 in all three tournaments this fall. He shot 64 (-6) in round two for the second time this season. His two 64s in 2016 are tied for the fourth-lowest 18-hole score in program history.”
The Gamecocks got back on track at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate on Sept. 23-25 after a tough outing to start the year at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. The team took fifth overall at the Maui Jim after shooting 13-under-par. Carolina was led by standout sophomore Scott Stevens, who shot the third best 54-hole score in school history with a 198 (-15). Stevens earned runner-up medalist honors, good for the best individual finish of his career.
HISTORY AT THE KA’ANAPALI COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
South Carolina finished fifth last season at the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic after shooting 864 (+12). Oklahoma won the tournament with a final score of 837 (-15). Georgia, who finished second, was the only other team to shoot under-par at 849 (-3).
Keenan Huskey led the way for the Gamecocks at last year’s event, shooting three-under par (210). He shot a team 18-hole low score of 69 (-2) in round two.
Will Miles and Scott Stevens were also in the lineup for the Gamecocks. Stevens tied for 44th after shooting 8-over and Miles tied for 49th after finishing 9-over.
TOURNAMENT FIELD
This year’s Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic features five more teams than last season. It is consistently one of the best fall tournaments in the country. The strong field features seven top-40 teams, including South Carolina. No. 7 Oklahoma, the defending champion, headlines that group.
No. 13 LSU and No. 15 Georgia are the other fellow SEC schools playing in the event. Instate rival No. 24 Clemson will also be playing in this year’s tournament.
