Gamecocks In Fourth At Maui Jim After Second Round

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (USC SID) — South Carolina remains in contention at the 2016 Maui Jim Intercollegiate after shooting a 276 (-8) on Saturday. The Gamecocks sit alone in fourth in the team standings at 19-under-par, trailing No. 7 LSU by eight strokes heading into the final round. The Tigers shot a 271 (-13)Saturday.

Team captain Keenan Huskey fired a new 18-hole career-low of 64 in the second round and sits tied for eighth place. Huskey joined Matt NeSmith and Kyle Thompson as the only juniors in school history to shoot 64. The Greenville, S.C., native recorded seven birdies on the day. He’s tied for second in the field with 12 birdies.

Scott Stevens joined Huskey with a low round, recording his second card in the red numbers with a 67 (-4). Stevens is 10-under-par for the tournament and is alone in second place, trailing LSU’s Luis Gagne by two strokes heading into Sunday. Gagne shot consecutive 65s the first two days and sits at 12-under-par.

Carolina, Kent State and Baylor all remain within striking distance of LSU in the team race. Kent State sits at 25-under-par after shooting a 279 Saturday. Baylor fired a 276 in the second round and sits at 23-under-par.

Huskey’s 64 tied the tournament 18-hole low. He made one of the biggest jumps on the leaderboard Saturday to get into the top-10 of the individual standings after sitting tied for 51st after the first day. Huskey shot a 31 (-5) on the front nine with five birdies and a 33 (-2) with two birdies on the back.

Stevens continued his stellar play shooting a 35 (-1) on the front nine and a 32 (-3) on the back nine. He was even par on the final nine holes before birding three straight holes (16, 17 and 18) on the way back into the clubhouse.

Junior Ben Dietrich is tied for 18th individually at 3-under-par after shooting a 73 (+2) on Saturday. Dietrich shot a 39 (+3) on the front nine and a 34 (-1) on the back. He tallied two birdies on the day.

Sophomore Ryan Stachler sits tied for 57th after tallying his second straight 73 (+2) on Saturday. The Alpharetta, Ga., native recorded a 36 (E) on the front nine and a 37 (+2) on the backside. Stachler had two birdies on the day.

Sophomore Will Milles was steady again throughout the round and shot 36 (E) on the front nine and 36 (+1) on the back nine. He recorded one birdie on the day.

True freshman Jamie Wilson, who is playing individually for the second straight tournament, tallied a 77 (+6) on Saturday. The Mt. Pleasant, S.C., native, shot 41 (+5) on the front nine and 36 (+1) on the back nine. Wilson had four birdies on the day.

QUOTING COACH BILL MCDONALD

“Keenan and Scott played really well today. I was very proud of Keenan for coming out focused and aggressive after a frustrating finish yesterday. We need a good front nine tomorrow if we are going to contend for the title.”

ROUND CHANGER

Keenan Huskey’s 64 was a new career 18-hole low. He became just the third Gamecock junior in school history to shoot a 64, joining Carolina alums Kyle Thompson and Matt NeSmith. Huskey is six shots off the individual lead heading into Sunday. Four of his five rounds so far this season have been under par. Huskey leads the field at the Maui Jim in par-4.

NOTABLE

• The Gamecocks are fourth in the field after firing 38 birdies in the first two rounds. Kent State leads the way with 48.
• Carolina is second in the field in par-4 scoring average at 3.91, shooting 10-under-par as a team on the mid-distance holes.
• The Gamecocks lead the field with 122 pars after two rounds. Houston is second with 121.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina continues play at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in the final round on Sunday morning. The Gamecocks, who are paired with Baylor, Kent State and LSU, tee off tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET. Live scoring from Mirabel Golf Club is available throughout the day at Golfstat.com.