University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Stetson Invitational
Sill Finishes 2nd, Spartans 3rd At Stetson Invitational
11/9/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
DeLand, Fla. – Spartanburg native and USC Upstate golfer Brad Sill finished with a 1-over-par 73 to finish second at the Stetson Invitational Tuesday afternoon. His effort allowed Upstate to finish the fall season with a third-place finish in the tournament.
Sill finished the tournament with a 5-under 211 total to finish second, just one stroke behind individual champion Daniel Mazziotta from Florida Gulf Coast. Sill maintained a lead throughout the first part of the round, but a triple bogey on the 17th hole spelled the difference. He came back to birdie his 18th hole, but a bogey by Mazziotta was not enough to overcome the deficit and he finished a stroke back. Still, it was a career-best finish for the sophomore.
"Brad's composure while he was winning was incredible. His composure when he made a triple bogey was incredible. His composure to come back and put pressure on the other player with a birdie on 18 was amazing," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "It was just an exciting day."
Sill's effort, and that of Gaffney, S.C., native Matthew Hopper, helped lift Upstate to its top team finish of the fall, tying host Stetson for third place. Hopper finished with a 71 on Tuesday. The Spartans turned in a 294 on Tuesday for a 54-hole total of 878. Stetson shot a 286 to move into a tie for third with the Spartans.
Florida Gulf Coast won the tournament with an 857 total and was followed by Jacksonville State (867), Upstate (878), Stetson (878), Bethune-Cookman (895), Florida Atlantic (902), Murray State (904), Lipscomb (931) and Florida A&M (979).
Hopper claimed 12th place with a 3-over-par 219 total. His 71 was the lowest score of the day for Upstate. Adam Goins (Gaffney) claimed a top 20 finish, tying for 17th with a 226 effort. McKenzie Oref (Easley, S.C.) carded a 79 on Tuesday to finish tied for 26th with a 229 total, while Brian Horton (Boiling Springs, S.C.) also shot 75 to finish with a 231 total and in a tie for 31st.
"Finishing third was really strong for us and a really good way to finish the fall," said Lawton. "It should give us some momentum. We have a lot of promise and other positive things we can take from this finish. We can work on some things to get stronger in the winter, and allow our freshman to grow and become better."
