TAMPA, Fla. ?The University of South Florida Bulls continue to improve on the season, tying for third along with host-school St. John's University at the Palmas Del Mar Intercollegiate in Puerto Rico. The Bulls fired a third-round 290 today, 9 strokes better than yesterday's second round score.
Senior Jason Elliot tied for sixth with a one-under 215 tournament-total. Today he recorded his best round, a 71.
”Jason had a great tournament, finishing tied for 6th place individually,” said USF head coach Jim Fee. “He finished with a solid round today, staying around even par all day, and making birdie on his last hole to shoot one-under. This is Jason's best individual finish since his freshman year. It's great to see his game come together, and for him to gain confidence in his abilities.”
Freshman Robby Carl tied for 18th and registered a 74 in the third and final round.
“Robby also had a good event,” said Fee. “His round today was steady, until he had a stretch of tough holes, which left him at 4-over-par. He recovered nicely with an eagle on his 17th hole, and finished with a 2-over 74.”
Senior Tyler Hitchcock carded a 73 and tied for 32nd. Sophomore Raj Nahal improved seven strokes today and fired an even 72. Junior Jakob McKinley tied for 40th and shot a 78 in the final round. Competing as individuals, sophomore Kris Struble shot a 79 today and fellow sophomore Chris Tallman shot an 82.
“In our team meeting last night we felt that if we could finish in the top three, it would be a good tournament for us,” said Fee. “The team played well today, shooting the second lowest round of the day. We got off to a steady start, making pars and a few birdies. I'm proud of the way our team finished this event. We needed four good scores today and the guys stepped up and got it done.”
“I hope this helps us build some confidence as we continue through our spring season,” said Fee. “The guys have been hitting the ball well lately, and if we can make some improvements in our putting, we will start shooting some low scores.”
T3 USF 295-299-290?884 (+20)
T6 Jason Elliot- 72-72-71?215 (-1)
T18 Robby Carl- 72-76-74?222 (+6)
T32 Tyler Hitchcock- 79-74-73?226 (+10)
T38 Raj Nahal- 77-79-72?228 (+12)
T40 Jakob McKinley- 74-77-78?229 (+13)
51 Kris Struble- 78-76-79?233 (+17)*
70 Chris Tallman- 77-85-82?244 (+28)*
*Competed as individual
