Gamecock Golf #8 In Preseason Poll

COLUMBIA, S.C. (USC SID) — The South Carolina men‘s golf team is ranked No. 8 in the Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll, the Golf Coaches Association of America announced Friday. The Gamecocks enter the year with plenty of momentum after turning in one of the greatest seasons in school history in 2014-15. Carolina won a school-record five tournament titles, recorded a school-record 10 top-five finishes and shattered the school record for team scoring average in a season by more than four strokes (282.85). The Gamecocks finished tied for second at the SEC Championship, with Matt NeSmith winning the individual SEC title by six strokes with a school-record total of 196 (-14). Carolina finished runner-up at the NCAA Bremerton Regional to earn its third-straight trip to the NCAA Championship. Carolina is one of seven SEC schools ranked in the poll, joining No. 2 LSU, No. 9 Auburn, No. 11 Vanderbilt, No. 12 Georgia, No. 17 Alabama and No. 23 Florida. The Gamecocks will open the 2015-16 season on Sept. 11-13 at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. The 54-hole event will be contested at The Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Ga. Carolina is the defending tournament champion. BUSHNELL GOLFWEEK PRESEASON COACHES POLL 1. Illinois 2. LSU 3. Texas 4. Florida State 5. Southern California 6. Arizona State 7. UCLA 8. South Carolina 9. Auburn T10. Stanford T10. Vanderbilt 12. Georgia 13. Georgia Tech 14. USF 15. Oregon 16. Oklahoma State 17. Alabama 18. Oklahoma 19. Washington T20. SMU T20. Wake Forest 22. North Carolina 23. Florida 24. Virginia 25. Baylor