South Carolina takes slim lead over Virginia into final round of Hackler Championship

On Tuesday in the Palmetto Invitational at Palmetto Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina took a 14-stroke lead over Virginia into the final round and won by 18.

The schools are once again in the top two positions heading into a final round, though the Gamecocks have a much smaller lead going into Sunday’s conclusion of the General Hackler Championship at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club.

South Carolina shot rounds of 281 and 279 for a 16-under 560 total and holds a three-stroke lead over the Cavaliers, who shot a 12-under 276 in the second round Saturday afternoon to cut the deficit following the morning opening round in half.

Jimmy Stanger, a junior who is playing in the No. 3 spot for the Cavaliers and is seeking his first collegiate win, leads individually by two strokes over Gisli Sveinbergsson of Kent State at 8-under 136 following a second-round 66.

“I’m looking for [the first win] but I’ve had a few top fives and I think I’m due for a good event,” Stanger said. “My goal is that we go and catch the Gamecocks tomorrow and our team gets a win, that would be fun to celebrate that amongst all these great teams here.”

The venerable Dunes Club, which is playing nearly its full yardage at about 7,300 yards for the tournament, surrendered some low scores as six teams and 23 individuals are under par.

“I didn’t think they would be this low … but you had a beautiful day with 75 degrees and no wind, and the greens are perfect so it was definitely doable,” Virginia coach Bowen Sargent said.

Six players in two of the day’s 28 threesomes did not finish the second round Saturday, citing an inability to see in the darkness, and will complete their second rounds on the seventh and eighth holes early Sunday morning.

“It’s unfortunate you have two groups of guys who have to go out in the morning and play 15 minutes of golf,” said Coastal Carolina coach Kevin McPherson, whose team is 13th in the 15-team field. “… They said they couldn’t see. I’m sure a couple players out there couldn’t see but they still finished. It’s unfortunate.”

The Gamecocks were as low as 21 under as a team in the afternoon but gave a few strokes back to par on the final few holes.

“I know some people are a little upset with the way they finished,” said USC senior Matt NeSmith of North Augusta. “But all in all I think we’re in a really good spot. I’m glad where we put ourselves as a team, in contention again.”

The Gamecocks have three players in the top 10, as freshman Will Miles of Hilton Head Island is third at 5-under 139, NeSmith is tied for fourth at 140 following a 5-under 67 in the second round, and freshman Scott Stevens of Chattanooga, Tenn., is tied for eighth at 3-under 141.

“We’ve got a lot of freshmen on the team and a lot of young guys,” NeSmith said. “The more experience we can get in pressure situations as a team and play well as a team, that only does more and more good. So we’re excited to be playing some good golf at the right time.”

Stanger was sick Saturday, but his game was healthy. He said he woke up with a head cold he believes he got from a teammate.

“It worked well on the course today so maybe I need to get sick more,” Stanger said. “I wasn’t out there thinking about my score, I was thinking about just trying to survive. That kept me a lot more mellow when I started making birdies, so that’s a good thing.”

Stanger said he struggled in 2015 but his game has improved recently. He’s coming off a tie for sixth in the Palmetto at 1-under 209, which is his lowest collegiate tournament total. He’s comfortable on The Dunes Club’s Bermudagrass greens as a Florida native.

“Today the irons and the putting kind of clicked. I had them both together,” said Stanger, who birdied the 529-yard fourth hole with a 5-iron to 16 feet in the second round. “It was fun to go out there and shoot a low number and make an eagle.

“It’s a ball-striker’s course, and that fits my game very well. I hit a lot of straight drives and a lot of longer drives that set me up in position to go low today. Honestly I could have gone a little bit lower. I missed a few putts and I’m kicking myself for that. It’s a beautiful golf course. I’m amazed we can play a venue like this in this good of shape at this time of year.”

The Gamecocks opened the spring season with a third-place finish at the All-American Intercollegiate ar the Golf Club of Houston before winning the Palmetto at Palmetto Golf Club.

NeSmith has three college wins, including the Palmetto Intercollegiate on Tuesday with a 7-under 203. He also is the reigning champion of the prestigious Players Amateur in Hilton Head.

The host Chanticleers are at 20-over 596 after rounds of 303 and 293. Junior Alfredo Ruiz is the low Chant, tied for 35th at 2-over 146.

“Ball-striking we looked about the same as South Carolina,” said McPherson, whose team was paired with South Carolina and North Carolina. “They made putts, we didn’t. They got the ball up and down, we didn’t. Our short games were not very good. We know these greens. maybe we got a little conservative on the greens, but we certainly did not make our share.

“You can’t win it in the first round but you can lose it, and I think we lost it in the first round. … Hopefully we’ll come back tomorrow with a solid finish and solid final round and make it a respectable tournament.”

Final round tee times will run until about 10:20 a.m. and spectators are welcome.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 9:27 PM with the headline "South Carolina takes slim lead over Virginia into final round of Hackler Championship."