University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Palmas Del Mar Collegiate Classic
Upstate Wins Palmas Del Mar Collegiate Classic
3/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
March 10, 2010
Humacao, Puerto Rico - It certainly wasn't a cake walk in the final round, but USC Upstate got inspired play from Brian Horton and Josh Gallman and held off the competition to win the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate Classic Wednesday afternoon. Horton, who shot a 67 in the final round, stormed into a share of the individual title with teammate Josh Gallman.
Upstate earned its first team win of the season and the first for the Spartans in over two years when Upstate won the BSC Invitational on Feb. 26, 2008. The Spartans have now claimed three team tournament championships as members of Division I, winning at the Rutgers Invitational in the program's first tournament playing on the Division I level in 2007, the BSC Invitational and, now, the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate Classic.
Horton and Gallman claimed a program-first by becoming the first Spartans to tie for an individual championship, winning with a 5-under-par total. It marks Horton's first collegiate title, while Gallman picked up his program-record sixth individual win. In an unofficial playoff for the medalist plaque, Horton holed out on his second shot on the first playoff hole, a par-4, to take home the plaque. Officially, Horton and Gallman are co-champions of the tournament.
"I finally got my act together and played like I know how to play," said Horton, from nearby Boiling Springs, S.C. "Before we left, Coach talked to me about my confidence level. I started thinking about what we talked about and knew that I was capable of hitting the shots that everyone else could to win the tournament. I just tried to keep my focus and hit good shots. I made some putts and was able to win the tournament."
To win the tournament, Upstate had to fend off Old Dominion and St. John's. ODU began the day 10 strokes back of the Spartans, while St. John's stood 14 back. Through nine holes, it looked as if the tournament was up for grabs. Upstate was at 1-over-par as a team after nine holes, while ODU and St. John's closed the gap. ODU was at 4-under after nine and was just five strokes back of Upstate. St. John's was 6-under through nine and stood eight strokes out of the lead.
However, Upstate stiffened and watched as ODU and St. John's both faltered. Upstate played its final five holes at 1-under, while ODU finished the same stretch 1-over and St. John's finished up at 10-over. The will to finish strong propelled Upstate to the win.
Upstate finished the round with a 287 team total and finished the 54-hole tournament at 3-under-par 861. The Spartans were the only team to shoot under par. Old Dominion was second after shooting a 284 on Wednesday and finishing with an 868 total.
"No doubt, it was an awesome battle," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "We haven't had a finish like this since the last round of (the Division II) Nationals in 2007. The entire team contributed in this tournament and did a wonderful job encouraging and motivating each other to finish what they started on Monday. We did what we haven't done all year long and that was finishing every round."
The tournament started with a bang on Monday as Nate Irvin made a hole-in-one, Josh Gallman took the individual lead and Upstate covered the field by 15 strokes to announce Upstate's presence. Gallman maintained a share of the lead after the second round and Upstate stood poised for its first team title in over two years with a 10-stroke advantage heading into action on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Horton made the biggest move of the tournament. Beginning the round two strokes back of Gallman, he went out in 33 and shot 34 on the back to finish the day with a 5-under-par 67. It looked as if that would end up being the difference in the tournament. Gallman trailed Horton by a stroke when he stepped to the 18th tee. He knocked his approach shot to within 14 feet and knew he had to make the birdie putt to tie for the title.
As Gallman walked to the back of the green to put his bag down and prepare to get a read on the putt, he asked Horton where he stood. Horton told Gallman he had finished at 5-under and Gallman replied that he had to make the putt to tie him for the championship. Gallman settled over the ball and began to walk toward the cup after putting smooth stroke on the putt, giving a fist pump when it disappeared into the cup. Despite being just one stroke from claiming his first outright individual title, Horton said there was nothing that could have been better than to tie Gallman.
"I finished up my round and when I was first told that I was in the lead I stood there and thought that I could be ready to win my first tournament," said Horton. "Then Josh asked me where I stood and I told him. But, as soon as he made the putt, I didn't think about it anymore. I was excited that he made it. You just can't beat that. To have two players from the same school share a championship is incredible. I have no problem at all sharing it, especially with someone like Josh with the career he has had. It is pretty cool and I don't think you could ask for more."
"This is an environment where you could get distracted," said Lawton. "It is very much a vacation-type spot. But, we just went out and stayed focused, played golf and won the tournament," said Lawton. "Brian played a fantastic round and was in the zone over every shot," said Lawton. "He stayed focused throughout the round and looked very, very good all day long. Josh showed some fiery emotion when he made his putt on the last hole. To have two players tie as medalist is a huge accomplishment in a good field."
