Upstate Releases 2014 Spring Golf Schedule
12/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Spartanburg, S.C. – Coming off a strong fall semester which saw the Spartans win two tournaments and claim a fourth-place finish in another strong event, the USC Upstate men's golf team will play in six tournaments this spring as head coach Todd Lawton has announced the 2014 spring schedule.
Upstate will again return to the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass to open the spring season, playing in the Sea Best Seafood Invitational Feb. 3-4. The event is hosted by Jacksonville at one of the world's most renowned courses. The tournament will kick-off what is expected to be a challenging spring with tournament fields boasting talented and deep teams.
Upstate will play three of the six tournaments in South Carolina, two in nearby Georgia and make its longest trip when it starts the season at the Sea Best at the Stadium Course. Following the opener at the Stadium Course, the Spartans will play in the Forest Hills Intercollegiate (March 1) in Augusta, Ga., Bash at the Beach (March 10-11) in Myrtle Beach, Furman Invitational (March 28-30) in Greenville, Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational (April 14-15) in Spartanburg and the A-Sun Championships (April 20-22) in Braselton, Ga.
Upstate is making its inaugural appearance in the Bash at the Beach and Furman Invitational, while making return trips to the Sea Best Seafood Invitational, Forest Hills Intercollegiate, Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational and A-Sun Championships.
"Our schedule shows tremendous balance between the quality of tournaments and venues we are able to play," said Lawton. "It is nice to compete against great fields close to home. Beginning our schedule at the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass will be a good test to start the spring and pave a road for what we need to be successful. Adding the Bash at the Beach and the Furman Invitational is a nice complement to our schedule which also has us returning to strong tournaments at the Forest Hills Intercollegiate, Wofford Invitational and the Sea Best Seafood Invitational at the TPC."
Upstate will make its fourth appearance in the Sea Best Seafood Invitational this year. The Spartans played in the event (formerly the JU Classic) in 2009 and 2010 and again under the current name last year. Tyler Tucker's tie for 15th in 2009 is the top individual finish in the event. Adam Goins and Ryan Cornfield both played in the tournament last year.
Upstate claimed a tie for third in last year's Forest Hills Intercollegiate in its first appearance in the event. Former Spartan Brad Sill made even more noise by winning the individual championship in a challenging field of 10 teams.
Upstate will make its first appearances in the Bash at the Beach and Furman Invitational. Both tournaments are held at excellent venues and have strong fields. The Spartans will close out the regular season at the Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational, making their sixth appearance in the tournament. Upstate claimed second place finishes in 2008 and 2010 paced by Josh Gallman's third and fourth place finishes. Goins has been the top Spartan in the tournament in each of the last three years.
Upstate will close out the last scheduled tournament at the A-Sun Championships April 20-22 at the Legends Course at the Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, Ga., north of Atlanta. The Spartans hope to improve on last year's seventh place finish while Goins, who claimed ninth place, looks to punctuate his career in his last conference championship.
Upstate had a strong fall season in 2013. The Spartans won the team championships at the Springhill Suites Intercollegiate hosted by Francis Marion at the Country Club of South Carolina and the Rutgers Invitational hosted by Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. In all, Upstate golfers finished in the Top 10 seven times in the fall and the team's 291.0 stroke average stands 4.2 strokes ahead of the 2007-08 squad's season record 295.2 average.
2014 Upstate Men's Golf Spring Schedule
Feb. 3-4 – Sea Best Seafood Invitational
Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Jacksonville)
March 1 – Forest Hills Intercollegiate
Forest Hills Country Club – Augusta, Ga. (GRU Augusta, formerly Augusta State)
March 10-11 – Bash at the Beach
The Surf Club – Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Appalachian State)
March 28-30 – Furman Invitational
Furman University Golf Course – Greenville, S.C. (Furman)
April 14-15 – Coca-Cola Wofford Invitational
Country Club of Spartanburg – Spartanburg, S.C. (Wofford)
April 20-22 – A-Sun Championships
Legends Course at the Chateau Elan Resort – Braselton, Ga. (A-Sun)
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