University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Invitational at the Ocean Course
Goins Claims Top 15 Finish at the Invitational at the Ocean Course
10/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Kiawah Island, S.C. – USC Upstate standout sophomore and Gaffney native Adam Goins claimed a top 15 individual finish in a strong field at the Invitational at the Ocean Course Tuesday afternoon. His effort helped lead the Spartans to a tie for ninth in the tournament hosted by the College of Charleston.
The Invitational at the Ocean Course was not only played on one of the world's best courses, it boasted a strong field with six top 100-ranked teams in the country. The Ocean Course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort was the site of the 1991 Ryder Cup and the 2007 Senior PGA Championship. It will serve as the site of the 2012 PGA Championship.
"I think it was a very strong field. We got better every single day. We came back as a group during the day today, playing the last nine holes at 1-over-par. We did a very good job of holding our position," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton.
"It was a great tournament, a great course and I don't take anything away from this less than I did from our win at Rutgers. It was a course that if you hit it straight, you were good. But, if you were just a little off, you were in trouble. All six guys contributed over our 12 rounds, so we accomplished what we needed to accomplish there."
Goins carded an even-par 72 in Tuesday's final round to finish with a 220 total. He finished tied for 15th as the low Spartan in the tournament.
"Every shot is as important as the next one. Adam never looked too far back or forward. That's where you have to be in a venue this difficult. Adam did a very good job of making sure he stayed on the course and didn't make too many mistakes, which is why he finished near the top of the leaderboard," said Lawton.
Goins led the Spartans to a 299 team total on Tuesday in windy conditions. Rain also sputtered throughout the second half of the round, making the conditions a little tougher and the most difficult the teams had faced all week long. Upstate finished with a 54-hole total of 896 to finish tied for ninth with Richmond.
Florida, which owned the overnight lead, shot a 291 on Tuesday to finish with an 858 total. The Gators claimed the team championship by 11 strokes over Alabama-Birmingham (869). South Florida was third at 870 and was followed by Maryland (871), College of Charleston (878), Mercer (891), Notre Dame (893), Davidson (894), Upstate (896), Richmond (896), Charleston Southern (901) and Kansas (904). The Spartans finished just five shots out of sixth place.
Brian Horton (Boiling Springs, S.C.) finished tied for 37th. He carded a 77 on Tuesday for a 54-hole total of 226. Brad Sill (Spartanburg, S.C.) carded an 80 on Tuesday and finished tied for 44th with a 229 total. Tyler Comer (Spartanburg, S.C.) shot the second-lowest score of the day for Upstate on Tuesday, a 73, and finished with a 233 total. McKenzie Oref (Easley, S.C.) shot a 77 on Tuesday and finished with a 234 total, while Matthew Hopper (Gaffney, S.C.) finished with a 245 total.
The tournament format called for six players to play for the team, with four scores counting toward the team score.
UAB's Sam Love shot a 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday to win the individual championship by two strokes. He finished with a 209 total.
