Upstate Set For Stetson Tournaments
11/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Nov. 2, 2008
Spartanburg, S.C. - The USC Upstate men's and women's golf teams are set to get things underway just above Orlando, Fla., as the Spartans will play in tournaments hosted by Stetson University at the Victoria Hills Country Club in DeLand, Fla. The men play in the 54-hole CFSC/Stetson Invitational, while the women play in the 54-hole Hatter Fall Classic.
The men's golf team returns to the course for the first time since finishing fourth last week at the ODU/Seascape Collegiate in North Carolina. The women's team will hit the course for the first time in nearly a month as the Spartans have not played since finishing seventh at the Stono Cup in early October.
The men's team looks to gain consistency up and down the lineup. The Spartans have been able to drop the average score it takes from the fourth and fifth positions over last year's team, but the low scores have routinely not been as low as scores turned in last year. Head Coach Todd Lawton sees that as an important factor in Upstate's team finishes this season.
"I am pleasantly surprised at what we've been doing as a team," said Lawton. "If you look at our stroke average, we are counting lower scores at the four and five positions, shaving off some strokes on the high end. Although our one, two and three players have been solid, we haven't turned in as many low scores as last year. We really want to have our high scores count in the 74 range and be able to see more 67s and 68s on the low end."
The men's team will send out the same five individuals who have played in each of the last two tournaments. Josh Gallman and Baxter Culler look to lead the way for the Spartans. Michael Lawrence, who turned in the low round on the season with a 68 at the Rutgers Invitational, is joined by Tyler Tucker and Jamie Lightsey to round out the lineup. Upstate finished fourth in last year's tournament as Gallman won his second individual title of the year with a 4-under-par effort.
A new face has entered the lineup on the women's side as Summer Wall will ses her first action of the season for the Spartans. Wall transferred to Upstate from Spartanburg Methodist College prior to the start of the season. She is joined in the lineup by a veteran group of golfers, all of whom are seniors and who played in the tournament last year.
Julie Miller, Richelle Wedzik, Richia Wedzik and Jessica Wofford will look to turn in solid scores and help lead Wall in her first Upstate outing. Upstate finished seventh out of nine teams in the Hatter Fall Classic last year with Richia Wedzik leading the way with an 11th-place finish. Richelle Wedzik leads the Spartans with a 79.4 stroke average, 0.4 stroke ahead of sister, Richia.
However, Upstate has not played a competitive round since Oct. 7, nearly a month of tournament inactivity. The break, though, is something that Lawton sees as a positive.
"We got off to a great fall and then we weren't really where we wanted to be at the Stono Cup," said Lawton. "But, I think the break has given the team an opportunity to forget about some of the bad performances. I think the team is excited about getting back out there.
"We are counting on our four seniors who have played here before and I think Summer, who is playing in her first tournament for us, can play well."
