Friday, March 8
Boulder City, Nev.
University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
at
Jackrabbit Invitational
Viva Las Spartans: Strong Debut for Upstate in Vegas
3/9/2024 11:59:00 PM | Men's Golf
BOULDER CITY, NV—The USC Upstate Spartan golf team finished very strong at the Jackrabbit Invitational at the picturesque Boulder Creek Golf Course in Boulder City, NV. In their inaugural appearance at this invitation, the Spartans finished tied for seventh out of twelve programs.
Facing tough competition from multiple teams with prior familiarity with the course, the Spartans weathered the elements exceptionally well. Despite encountering gusty winds during the first round and moments on the back nine of the third round, they maintained their composure well to finish with a total score of 897 (302-296-299).
Freshman standout Alec Prentice led the charge for the Spartans. The New Zealand native impressive performance earned him a tie for 19th place. Prentice thrived on the back nine in the third round, where he recorded multiple birdies to climb nearly ten spots on the leaderboard. His total score of 222 (75-75-72) does not show the overall impressive body of work he did with a few unlucky bounces and rolls during the third round.
Teammates Barrett Josey, Zander Briggs, and Jaskaran Sohal all finished in the top 40. Josey's team-low second-round score of 69 was a key highlight for the Spartans, while freshman Cameron Biddle showcased his driving strength with two eagles on par-4 holes during the first and second rounds. Additionally, Sohal birdied four of his last five holes to continue the trend of great finishes by the Spartans. Individual Spartan, Panop Norasing followed the trend as well improving in every round, finishing with a 76 in the final round.
Reflecting on the team's performance, Head Coach Todd Lawton expressed satisfaction with their overall effort, "We had a few strong Individual rounds and finished each round well. It's on me to sharpen our focus from warmup to first tee. It's an opportunity to get better." Coach also added, "This was a great way to make the first trip away from home in a while for the program. It was a great golf course and place to visit." This invite was the Spartan's first trip west of the Rocky Mountains since 2019.
The Spartans' strength on the weekend was on the par 4s. They boasted the second-lowest team average score in the tournament on those holes, trailing only Creighton.
Overall, the tournament hosts swept the team and individual titles, with South Dakota State's Bryson Mercier clinching the individual crown by shooting 70-71-70-211. The Jackrabbits, as a team, started the second round in third place but finished on a torrid pace to take first, shooting 283-285 in the final two rounds to win the title.
FINAL RESULTS | Click here
Facing tough competition from multiple teams with prior familiarity with the course, the Spartans weathered the elements exceptionally well. Despite encountering gusty winds during the first round and moments on the back nine of the third round, they maintained their composure well to finish with a total score of 897 (302-296-299).
Freshman standout Alec Prentice led the charge for the Spartans. The New Zealand native impressive performance earned him a tie for 19th place. Prentice thrived on the back nine in the third round, where he recorded multiple birdies to climb nearly ten spots on the leaderboard. His total score of 222 (75-75-72) does not show the overall impressive body of work he did with a few unlucky bounces and rolls during the third round.
Teammates Barrett Josey, Zander Briggs, and Jaskaran Sohal all finished in the top 40. Josey's team-low second-round score of 69 was a key highlight for the Spartans, while freshman Cameron Biddle showcased his driving strength with two eagles on par-4 holes during the first and second rounds. Additionally, Sohal birdied four of his last five holes to continue the trend of great finishes by the Spartans. Individual Spartan, Panop Norasing followed the trend as well improving in every round, finishing with a 76 in the final round.
Reflecting on the team's performance, Head Coach Todd Lawton expressed satisfaction with their overall effort, "We had a few strong Individual rounds and finished each round well. It's on me to sharpen our focus from warmup to first tee. It's an opportunity to get better." Coach also added, "This was a great way to make the first trip away from home in a while for the program. It was a great golf course and place to visit." This invite was the Spartan's first trip west of the Rocky Mountains since 2019.
The Spartans' strength on the weekend was on the par 4s. They boasted the second-lowest team average score in the tournament on those holes, trailing only Creighton.
Overall, the tournament hosts swept the team and individual titles, with South Dakota State's Bryson Mercier clinching the individual crown by shooting 70-71-70-211. The Jackrabbits, as a team, started the second round in third place but finished on a torrid pace to take first, shooting 283-285 in the final two rounds to win the title.
FINAL RESULTS | Click here
Up Next for the Spartans
The Spartans will enter Pirate waters heading to East Carolina for their intercollegiate on March 18-19.Â
Connect with the SpartansÂ
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateMWGolf | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateSpartans | @UpstateMGolf
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartansÂ
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
No videos available.
