By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

CHOUDRANT, La., SEPT. 19, 2017 – Head coach Steve Bradley's Bulls are bringing two titles back to Tampa after a fantastic start to their fall season.

USF (-21) posted a 13-shot team victory while Cristian DiMarco won the individual title in dramatic fashion at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate on Tuesday. The Bulls started the day with a 10-stroke advantage and finished strong with a 4-under team performance in the final round at Squire Creek Country Club (par 72, 7,070 yards).

This marks USF's 12^th tournament title victory since Bradley took over the program prior to the 2014-15 season. Under Bradley, USF won multiple titles in each of the past three seasons (2 in 2016-17), (4 in 2015-16), (5 in 2014-15).

All five Bulls in the lineup finished in the top 20 and DiMarco used his mental toughness to rise atop the 80-player field. The senior from Longwood, Fla., started the day six shots off the lead and made his move with a 3-under 69 for the second straight round.

DiMarco captured the first individual title of his college career by sinking a birdie putt from 12-14 yards out on the final hole of the day to finish at 8-under overall. DiMarco finished one shot ahead of Angelo Leyvani of Stephen F. Austin State.

DiMarco's clutch putt put the finishing touches on an impressive debut for USF's new-look lineup.

Kyle Flexsenhar (Lake Mary, Fla.) shined in qualifying and stepped up even more with a 4-under final score that tied the sophomore for fifth place.

Last season, Jimmy Jones led the team with four top-10 finishes in his first run with the Bulls and he's already a fourth of the way to his 2016-17 total. The senior from Tampa tied for ninth place at 2-under a day after leading the Bulls with a 5-under 67 in the second round.

Sophomore Andre Leveque (Windermere, Fla.) posted the fourth top-25 finish of his promising college career by tying for 13^th place at even par. Senior Claudio Correa (Santiago, Chile) moved up three spots to a tie for 18^th place at 1-over with an even-par final round that featured four birdies.

Playing as an individual, senior Priyanshu Singh (Delhi, India) jumped up eight spots to a tie for 18^th place by carding a 71, his second straight under-par round.

Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the team's performance and what it means for the program:
"Overall, we got the job done. It wasn't pretty today, but certainly anytime we get a 'W,' we're happy."

"All the guys, they all have something different to prove. Collectively as a team, we have something to prove… All in all, you really couldn't ask for a better way to start the season and start the year. They'll have some of their own confidence as we get ready for the rest of the fall."

Bradley on Cristian DiMarco's first title victory and his performance down the stretch:
"He played well in the spring. He had a chance to win Cabo and didn't quite get the job done. Then he lost in a playoff for the conference championship. When he, my assistant Brad and I met at the beginning of the year, one of his goals was to win at least one college event."

"Cristian was behind for the better part of the day and the kid from Stephen F. Austin was playing pretty well. On the 15^th hole, the kid made a double and Cristian made a birdie to close the gap to 2. Then he got it to within 1 through 16. Cristian made a birdie on the last hole and the other two guys made a bogey and a double. He kind of slid in there at the very last moment. The only hole he led for the entire 54-hole tournament was the last one. It's certainly good timing."
 
Notables

• USF led the field in par-4 scoring (3.96, -6), par-5 scoring (4.57, -26) and total birdies (69).
• Cristian DiMarco led the field in par-4 scoring (3.77, -7) and tied for the tournament lead with 16 total birdies.
• Claudio Correa and Andre Leveque tied for second in the lineup with 15 birdies apiece.

Team, Player Scores

Pos.	Team/Player (seed)	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1	South Florida	282	277	284	843
1	Cristian DiMarco (1)	70	69	69	208
T5	Kyle Flexsenhar (2)	70	71	71	212
T9	Jimmy Jones (5)	74	67	73	214
T13	Andre Leveque (4)	68	76	72	216
T18	Claudio Correa (3)	75	70	72	217

Up Next
USF will shoot for another title Oct. 1-3 at the Erin Hills Collegiate in Hartford, Wisc.
 
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.