USF Athletics

Record-Breaking Bulls Run Away With Second Title of Fall

October 24, 2017

TEAM SCORES
PLAYER SCORES
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

VERO BEACH, Fla., OCT. 24, 2017 – USF men's golf smashed school and tournament records in its final event of the fall season.

Shooting a school record 44-under, USF ran away with a 19-shot victory at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday, which marked the Bulls' second title win of the fall. With a tournament-record 820 team total,  USF also set the program's new 54-hole scoring record for a par-72 tournament.

Head coach Steve Bradley's Bulls made more school history by setting the new par-72 scoring record with a 20-under 268 in the final round at Quail Valley Golf Club.

USF dominated the competition with four Bulls placing in the top 12 on the individual leaderboard.

Claudio Correa made a run at the individual title with a 6-under 66 in the final round. The senior finished just one shot behind the lead with a 13-under 203 that placed the Santiago, Chile native second among 75 competitors.

Jimmy Jones also finished strong with a 6-under 66 that moved the senior up six spots to a tie for third at 12-under. The Tampa native leads the Bulls with six top-10 finishes since last season.

Kyle Flexsenhar posted his second top-10 finish of the season by shooting a 9-under 207 that tied the sophomore for 10^th place. The Lake Mary, Fla., native carded under-par scores in all three rounds, along with Correa and Jones.

Conference player of the month Cristian DiMarco shook off a slow start to place 12^th at 8-under. The senior from Longwood, Fla., shot 11-under in the final two rounds after carding a 65 at the end of Monday's 36-hole action.

This marks USF's 13^th title victory since Bradley took over the program prior to the 2014-15 season. Under Bradley, USF has won multiple titles in every season he's been at the helm (2, 2017-18), (2 in 2016-17), (4 in 2015-16), (5 in 2014-15).
 
Team, Player Scores

1	South Florida	279	273	268	820
2	Claudio Correa (4)	68	69	66	203
T3	Jimmy Jones (1)	70	68	66	204
T10	Kyle Flexsenhar (3)	68	71	68	207
12	Cristian DiMarco (2)	75	65	68	208
T62	Jonny Cachon (5)	73	76	73	222

 

Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the team finishing strong with record-setting scores:
"I don't know what kind of got into them, but I like it. We got off to a solid start today and the teams that were behind us were playing pretty well. We turned to the back nine and just turned it on. It was awesome to see."

Bradley on the whole team contributing to the record-breaking victory:
"It shows you when they play together and they play with a purpose, they're really good. To see those scores and to get that kind of result in that fashion, it's pretty special, especially knowing you're going into an offseason. Hopefully it gives them a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Hopefully it inspires them to work hard this offseason and to come out in the spring and show what they're capable of doing more."
 
Notables

• USF led the field in par-4 scoring (3.91, -14) and birdies (71).
• Claudio Correa led all players in par-4 scoring (3.70, -9).
• Jimmy Jones tied for the tournament lead with 19 total birdies.
• Cristian DiMarco and Kyle Flexsenhar each carded an eagle in the tournament.
• USF matched the school record for low round vs. par set by Bradley's 2015-16 team that went 20-under at the par-71 Wolfpack Spring Intercollegiate.

Up Next
USF will start its spring season at the Seabest Invitational that's set for Feb. 5-6 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
 
About USF Men's Golf
USF men's golf returns six players from the 2016-17 team that captured the program's third consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship title. Head coach Steve Bradley has been at the helm for all three league championship runs and guided the Bulls back to the final rounds of the NCAA Championship in 2016. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.