Senior-Led Bulls' Solid Season Ends at Kissimmee Regional
TEAM SCORES
PLAYER SCORES
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
KISSIMMEE, Fla., MAY 16, 2018 – No. 20 USF's impressive 2017-18 season ended Wednesday with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Kissimmee Regional.
Fourth-seeded USF dropped four spots on the leaderboard in the final round while carding a 1-over 289 to finish the tournament at 12-under. The low five teams from each of the six 54-hole regional tournaments advanced to the NCAA Championship rounds and USF was pursuing its third NCAA Championship trip in the past four seasons.
Despite falling short of the NCAA Championship goal, USF can still be proud of a season that was packed with highlights leading up to the program's sixth straight trip to regionals.
Head coach
Steve Bradley's Bulls captured the American Athletic Conference Championship crown in wire-to-wire fashion for the fourth consecutive season. USF also matched the program's season record of five tournament title victories set by Bradley's 2014-15 team.
On top of those accomplishments, seniors
Claudio Correa and
Cristian DiMarco both set the new USF season record by posting 23 par-or-better rounds apiece.
Correa ended his fourth straight NCAA Regional run with the Bulls in a tie for 14
th place at 4-under. The Santiago, Chile native and conference player of the year collected three par-or-better rounds at the regional, finishing with a 1-under 71 Wednesday at Reunion Resort's Watson Course (par 72, 7,154 yards).
DiMarco tied for 26
th place at 2-under after carding a 70 in the first two rounds of the tournament. The Longwood, Fla., native competed in NCAA Regionals in all three of his seasons with the Bulls.
Senior
Jimmy Jones (Tampa) led the Bulls in the final round with a 2-under 70 and tied for 23
rd place at 3-under.
USF Scores
Quotable
Head coach Steve Bradley on the Bulls' final round of the season:
"I'm pretty shocked and surprised. I felt like we had a good warmup session. I don't know what you'd attribute it to, but we just didn't execute early on. At this golf course, you knew you had to make birdies. We didn't play very well today. It was a disappointing end to a really good season."
Bradley on senior Claudio Correa, who has been in the lineup at NCAA Regionals for four straight seasons:
"He's such a good kid. He smiles all the time and he's the first guy I've had a chance to coach for four years. It's been an absolute privilege to have him on the team with the way he is with his teammates, recruits and the way he conducts himself in the classroom, on the course and in life. He embodies what you want in a student-athlete on the golf team. I couldn't be more proud to be his coach for four years."
Bradley on senior Priyanshu Singh, who captured his first collegiate individual title this season:
"I think the greatest attribute Pri had was he never quit. He just kept battling and working with a desire to improve himself and also be there for his teammates on and off the golf course. It shows you what a quality young man he is with high character. I've only coached him for two years but they've been pretty special. Getting a chance to know him on a personal level has been awesome. I wish him the best of luck."
Bradley on senior Jimmy Jones, who earned all-conference honors in each of his two seasons with the program:
"Jimmy has gone through a lot since he's been a Bull. He's somebody that is really talented and he's got a bright future ahead of himself as long as he stays focused on his goals and stays disciplined. He's been awesome to have in our program for two years. From a personal standpoint, he's made me a better coach and a better person. Hopefully I've been a good mentor for him."
Bradley on senior Cristian DiMarco, who has been a big part of USF's postseason runs the past three seasons:
"I'm not sure I've had somebody change so much in three years I've had a chance to coach them. He's really transformed himself into a great golfer from when he came in during his sophomore year to exiting as a senior through his dedication to golf along with his health and fitness. It's been fun to coach him and watch him progress. He has a bright future ahead and the next stepping stone for him is turning pro, just like the other seniors."
Notables
- USF was looking to advance to the NCAA Championship final rounds for the third time in the past four seasons. USF won the New Haven Regional in 2015 and made it all the way to the NCAA Championship match play quarterfinals that spring, which was a first for the program. USF placed fourth at the Albuquerque, N.M., Regional in 2016 and finished 26th in stroke play at the NCAA Championship.
- Seniors Claudio Correa and Cristian DiMarco both set the program's new season record by each posting 23 rounds of par or better.
- Correa finished his accomplished USF career with three career title victories, one short of the program record set by Chase Koepka (2012-16). Correa also finished second on USF's season scoring list with a 71.14 average in 2017-18.
- Sophomore Kyle Flexsenhar (Lake Mary, Fla.) will return to the Bulls after gaining valuable experience in his first NCAA Regional appearance with the program.
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.
