Pebble Beach, California is known for its breathtaking scenery and some of the best golf courses in the world. This past weekend, the No. 12 Gamecocks men’s golf team traveled to the Golden State to participate in the Carmel Cup at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Competing against seven other schools, including SEC rivals Georgia, Vanderbilt and Arkansas, the Gamecocks finished sixth overall with a total 54-hole team score of 1079 (-1). Georgia won the tournament with a total score of 1,063 (-17).
On Friday the Gamecocks shot 362 ( 2) and were tied for sixth place with Oklahoma State after the first round. Sophomore Ben Dietrich had the best score for the Gamecocks on day one, shooting a 1-under 71 and was tied for ninth after garnering four birdies in the round.
South Carolina had its strongest showing Saturday with their lowest score of the tournament of 352 (-6). The Gamecocks jumped to fourth in the standings after the round, trailing only Georgia, Texas Christian University and Texas Tech. Senior Caleb Sturgeon led the Gamecocks’ rise up the standings shooting a 66 (-6) and was tied for second individually at the conclusion of the round. Sturgeon fell just one stroke short of matching his all-time career low score of 65. Dietrich also continued playing well on Saturday, shooting another 71 (-1).
Head coach Bill McDonald was pleased with his team after Saturday, but noted especially how impressive Sturgeon’s play was.
“We played very well as a team today overall, and Caleb’s round was incredible. This has been an amazing trip so far, and we are looking forward to the final round,” McDonald said.
The Gamecocks shot their highest score of the weekend on Sunday shooting a final round 365 ( 5) and moved back down the leader board to finish in sixth place. Sturgeon was a 2-over 72 on Sunday with a final total score of 213 (-3). Sturgeon was still able to finish tied for 10th overall, which was his ninth top-10 finish of his career. Dietrich also shot a 74 on Sunday finishing at an even 216 final score. Dietrich claimed his fifth career top-20 finish after tying for 15th. Junior Will Starke carded the lowest score for the Gamecocks on Sunday after shooting a 71 (-1) and finished tied for 13th after posting a total final score of 215 (-1).
Sturgeon said he was satisfied with his play especially his second round, but highlighted several areas of his play he plans on working at as the season progresses.
“As the season continues, I need to work on both my short game and driving accuracy. I noticed that I lost a few shots this week from those two areas. This past weekend I hit my irons really well and also putted well. Like I said, I want to improve my short game and driving accuracy, but also I want to keep getting stronger mentally,” Sturgeon said.
The men’s team will participate in the Carpet Capital Collegiate Cup this upcoming weekend at the Farm Golf Club in Rocky Face, Georgia.