Upstate's Cornfield Earns A-Sun All-Conference Honors, Schofield All-Freshman
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Spartanburg, S.C. – Capping a tremendous season that saw him claim his first individual tournament championship during the regular season and a Top 10 individual finish at the A-Sun Championship, USC Upstate standout men's golfer Ryan Cornfield has been named to the A-Sun All-Conference team for the second consecutive year.
In addition to Cornfield's all-conference honor, Tom Schofield earned A-Sun All-Freshman honors. He joins Taylor White (2014) as the only Spartans to earn an all-freshman selection from the A-Sun.
Cornfield was a second team all-conference selection, matching his second team nod last year. He is the second Spartan to receive multiple all-conference honors from the A-Sun. Current assistant coach Josh Gallman received three all-conference honors from the A-Sun, two first team selections and one second team nod.
"Ryan has been consistent throughout the year and has been near the top of the leaderboard on every course we've played," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "To adapt to so many different conditions and perform at the highest level is a testimony to his consistent work habits and preparation. He had a win in a strong field and two seconds individually. He is well deserving of this award and I am proud of him.
"This makes two years in a row that Ryan has been All-conference and two years in a row we've had a freshman honored. I am excited that we have so many quality players returning next year."
Cornfield turned in another standout season on the links for Upstate in 2014-15. He began the season with four Top 10 efforts, and three in the Top 5, in five tournaments in the fall. He capped the fall by winning the Wendy's Kiawah Classic in November for his first career tournament victory. He shot 6-under-par for the tournament.
Playing the toughest stretch of tournaments ever in one semester, Upstate played against more than 40 of the nation's Top 100 teams in the country in the first four tournaments of the spring. Cornfield held his ground and claimed four Top 25 finishes, including a tie for 11th and a tie for 19th. He finished the season by claiming a tie for ninth at the A-Sun Championships, which was his top individual finish in three appearances in the event. His tie for ninth helped the Spartans finish fourth for the program's best-ever finish in seven appearances in the tournament.
Cornfield led Upstate throughout the season with a 72.4 stroke average and a .880 winning percentage. He was 698-95 against all golfers during tournament play. He had a team-best six Top 10 individual finishes on the year and three Top 5 efforts. He broke the program's lowest round record with a 65 in the Camden Collegiate Invitational in the fall and tied the program's single round record for most strokes under par when he shot a 6-under 66 in the final round of the Wendy's Kiawah Classic to help lift him to medalist honors.
Cornfield has also played himself into contention for a potential individual berth in the NCAA Regionals in two weeks. He is currently ranked No. 155 in NCAA Division I and is 4-4-1 against Top 20 players in the nation this season.
Schofield played in two tournaments in the fall and three in the spring for Upstate. He gained consistency throughout the season and shot five of his seven lowest rounds in the last two tournaments of the year. He finished tied for 24th at the A-Sun Championship after rounds of 74, 77 and 80 and recorded his top individual finish of the season in the event. After shooting in the 70's just once in his first six rounds in the fall, he shot in the 70's in seven of his last nine in the spring, including two of three to make a solid showing in the A-Sun Championship. He finished the season with a 79.2 stroke average.
"Tom came on strong late in the season and made a huge difference in the success we had at the conference championship," said Lawton. "He's a great player that got so much better throughout the season when it counted. I am proud of his work and he is very deserving of this honor.
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