USF Athletics

Bulls Complete Four-Peat at The American Championship

April 24, 2018

PHOTO GALLERY

TEAM SCORES
PLAYER SCORES
 
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

PALM HARBOR, Fla., APRIL 24, 2018 – Another spring, another ring for No. 21 USF men's golf.

Head coach Steve Bradley's Bulls captured their fourth consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship crown in wire-to-wire fashion on Tuesday afternoon. Claudio Correa took home the individual trophy after posting a three-shot victory at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club's Copperhead Course (par 71, 7,125 yards). 

USF (-10) carded a 5-under 279 for the second straight day and matched the tournament's largest margin of victory, a 20-shot feat originally accomplished by the Bulls' 2016 team. Completing the four-peat also helped the Bulls match the program season wins record of five tournament titles set in 2014-15.

Correa built on his two-shot lead in the final round by carding a 2-under 69 to finish the tournament at 6-under. The senior from Santiago, Chile has been a part of USF's four straight title victories at The American Championship.

Seniors Cristian DiMarco and Jimmy Jones both earned runner-up honors by finishing the event at 3-under.

DiMarco (Longwood, Fla.) kept his share of second place on the final day by shooting a 1-under 70. Jones (Tampa) moved up two spots in the final round by carding a bogey-free 69.

Senior Priyanshu Singh (Delhi, India) posted his second even-par 71 of the tournament to finish in a tie for eighth place at 2-over.

USF Scores

1	South Florida	284	279	279	842
1	Claudio Correa (1)	71	67	69	207
T2	Cristian DiMarco (2)	71	69	70	210
T2	Jimmy Jones (5)	71	70	69	210
T8	Priyanshu Singh (4)	71	73	71	215
T32	Kyle Flexsenhar (3)	75	73	75	223

 
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the Bulls bringing home another conference title:
"We were leading after 11 consecutive rounds, but to lead after the 12^th one is the most important. We talked going into the week about four straight and what it means. I think I tried to downplay it a little bit, but for Claudio to win four of these on four teams and now to collect that individual crown is pretty cool. I'm so happy for these guys, our program and Coach (Brad) Caldwell. We worked hard for this and for them to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, do it on a golf course like this and do it in convincing fashion like we did, it's pretty special."

Bradley on the Bulls matching the program season record of five tournament victories:
"I told a couple of the guys heading into the Old Waverly event, I told them five was the number and it would be great to get to seven. Right now it would still be great to get to seven. That means a regional win and an NCAA win. I think they look at that stuff and they pay attention to that. What we've done here even a couple of years before I got here, the way this program was trending, and certainly where we are now, they know their place will be in the history books. They're going to be able to look back on this in many years, in 20-30 years when they're old like me, and be proud of what they accomplished and share that with their kids."

Claudio Correa on his tournament victory:
"This year I've been so close a couple of times and I just couldn't really get it. This week, I just handled the pressure a little better, learned from those experiences and finished well."

"My irons were pretty good. I chipped a lot of greens and my putting was pretty decent, too. I think my irons were the key to playing well this week."
 
Notables

• USF matched the program seasons wins record of five set by the 2014-15 team that included Correa, Chase Koepka, Rigel Fernandes, Trey Valentine and Ryan Fricker.
• USF has had a player capture the individual title at The American Championship in three of the past four years – Claudio Correa (2018), Aksel Olsen (2016) and Ryan Fricker (2015).
• The Bulls have posted wire-to-wire victories in each of the past four conference championships. USF has captured the past four league titles by a combined 68 shots.
• USF matched the conference tournament's largest margin of victory of 20 strokes, a feat originally accomplished by the Bulls' 2016 squad.
• Claudio Correa won his first individual conference title and finished two shots behind former teammate Ryan Fricker's 54-hole record of 205 in 2015.
• Cristian DiMarco earned conference tournament runner-up honors for the second straight season and led the field with 43 pars.

 
Up Next
Find out where the Bulls will be headed for regional action by watching the NCAA Selection Show on Wednesday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m. (TV: Golf Channel).
 
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. This season, head coach Steve Bradley guided the Bulls to their fourth straight conference tournament title in wire-to-wire fashion. The latest title victory helped USF match the program season wins record of five set in 2014-15. Follow @USFMGolf on Twitter for the latest information concerning the program.