Sill Double-Eagles Way To Lead At Stetson Invitational
11/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
DeLand, Fla. – Buoyed by a double eagle on the par-5 15th hole in the day's second round, USC Upstate sophomore and Spartanburg native Brad Sill fired two rounds under par and stands tied for the tournament lead Monday afternoon in the Stetson Invitational at the Victoria Hills Country Club.
Sill, a 2009 Dorman High School graduate, opened the tournament with a 2-under-par 70. He improved on that number in the second round, finishing with a 4-under 68. He stands tied for the tournament lead with Florida Gulf Coast's Daniel Mazziotta heading into the final round on Tuesday. Sill double bogeyed the last hole of the day to keep from tying the school's single-round school record of 66.
Sill used an exceptional par-save on his fourth hole to build momentum for the day. He was in trouble off the tee and was under a tree by the green with his third shot. He managed to chip up to eight feet and made the par putt. From there, he shot 70. In the second round, he stood at 2-over through eight holes, but went on a flurry playing holes 14-17 at 5-under, including the program's first-ever double eagle, to card a 68 in the second round.
"It seems like every tournament we have a player save us and Brad did it today," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "He stayed patient in the morning round today. He was smiling all day. He has played well all fall, but just hasn't broken through with really low scores. He was just steady and solid all day long."
Sill's performance helped Upstate to a pair of strong rounds. The Spartans shot back-to-back rounds of 292 and stand third in the team standings. Florida Gulf Coast was strong, finishing with rounds of 296 and 272 to vault into the lead by 10 strokes with a 568 total. Jacksonville State is second at 578 and is followed by Upstate (584), Bethune-Cookman (592), Stetson (592), Florida Atlantic (603), Murray State (605), Lipscomb (624) and Florida A&M (652).
Upstate stands six strokes back of second place and 16 shots back of FGCU in first place. The Spartans own an eight-shot lead over Bethune-Cookman and Stetson, and a commanding 19-stroke lead over Florida Atlantic.
"I'm excited for the team," said Lawton. "Shooting 292 in both rounds is strong and we have shown that we can compete. The thing that is exciting is that Brian (Horton) was playing in our No. 1 position and he turned in the highest scores on the team. That's not a negative for him, but a positive for our team. Once again, we used everyone on our team. It's encouraging that different players have stepped up for us. We have definitely gotten better as the fall has gone along."
Playing in his second tournament in the lineup and third overall, freshman and Gaffney, S.C., native Adam Goins stands tied for 13th after rounds of 72 and 75. He owns a 147 total and is 3-over for the tournament. Fellow Gaffney native Matthew Hopper stands 17th with rounds of 73 and 75. McKenzie Oref (Easley, S.C.) lowered his score by six strokes from the morning round to the afternoon, firing a 74 in the afternoon for a 154 total. He is tied for 28th. Brian Horton (Boiling Springs, S.C.) shot rounds of 77 and 79 and is tied for 33rd.
"Adam has really come along since he stepped on campus," said Lawton. "I am really excited about how well and how quickly he has developed."
