Gallman Takes Lead At S.C. Amateur With 67
8/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Aug. 9, 2008
Clinton, S.C. - Saturday is considered "moving day" in golf tournament lore and USC Upstate men's golfer Josh Gallman certainly made his move in windy conditions at Musgrove Mill Golf Club, shooting a 67 to move to the top of the leaderboard at 4-under-par heading into Sunday's final round at the South Carolina Amateur.
Gallman, from Gaffney, was one of just three golfers to shoot below 70 in windy conditions, shooting the low round in the third round Saturday. Lee Palms also shot a 67, while Paul Tucker turned in a 68. Only 11 of the 72 players who made the 36-hole cut broke par Saturday.
Gallman's 67 allowed the rising junior to move from a tie for 28th entering the day to the 54-hole lead. Caleb Sturgeon, who shot a 66 Friday to open a two-stroke lead entering Saturday, shot a 79 and fell to a tie for 13th. Gallman will enter the final round of the tournament with a one-shot lead over three players at 3-under-par - Wesley Bryan (Chapin), George Bryan IV (Chapin) and Spartanburg's Will Oldham. Gallman, Wesleyan Bryan and Oldham will tee-off at 9:50 a.m. in the final pairing.
Baxter Culler, a rising senior at Upstate, turned in a solid 73 Saturday. He stands tied for 36th at 5-over-par. Culler shot 69 Friday to make the cut and move into the top half of the field in his first time making the cut at the tournament.
Gallman had a tremendous year of college golf as a sophomore in 2007-08. Coming off of a strong freshman season the year before, the Gaffney native hit his stride last year. He won four individual tournament championships, two in the fall and two in the spring, and helped lead the Spartans to two team tournament titles in Upstate's first year playing on the NCAA Division I level. He was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Golfer of the Month three of the six times it was awarded and was an A-Sun First Team All-Conference selection. He finished the year with a remarkable eight top five and 11 top 10 finishes in 12 tournaments.
Culler had a solid year as a junior in 2007-08 following his first two seasons of outstanding golf as one of the founding members of the new men's golf program at Upstate. The golf program was reestablished following a 14-year hiatus from competition and Culler was a member of the first NCAA recruiting class at the school. As a sophomore, he led the Spartans to a second-place finish in the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championships and a final No. 2 national ranking. He won two individual tournament titles, including the Peach Belt Conference championship. As a junior last year, he finished with three top 10 and five top 20 individual finishes in 12 tournaments in Upstate's first year in Division I.
Gallman and Culler have had some success already this summer playing in amateur tournaments. The two teamed to win the Carolinas Four Ball Championship in May and have played several other events throughout the summer. Gallman finished 24th at the prestigious Southern Amateur Championships last month and narrowly missed in his qualifying attempt for the U.S. Amateur.
