KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (September 10, 2023) – The University of South Florida men's golf team opened its 2023-24 season over the weekend at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate played at Tennessee National Golf Club. South Florida finished 11th in the 14-team field which was played over three days and completed the final round on Sunday evening.
Jake Peacock (Milton, Ga.), an American All-Conference selection last season, led the Bulls with a three-round total of 211 (+1). Peacock tied for 22nd individually among the field of 84 golfers. The junior carded rounds of 74 (+4), 67 (-3) and 70 (E). Peacock recorded 11 birdies and one eagle over the 54-hole event.
The Bulls collectively turned in a team score of 864 with improved rounds each day on the course (291 on Friday, 288 on Saturday and 285 on Sunday). The host Tennessee Volunteers won the tournament with a team score of 815.
"This wasn't the start to the season we wanted, but a lot of the mistakes were mental and I'm confident we can get those cleaned up," said head coach Steve Bradley. "It was nice to see Jake bounce back over the weekend after a tough start on Friday. We will have some qualifying this week to help identify which guys will be prepared for our next outing at Northwestern."
Sophomore Nino Palmquist (Halmstad, Sweden) competed as an individual at the event with a score of 213 (+3) to finish in a tie for 29th place. He matched his career-low round of 67 on Saturday after opening play with a 70 (E) on Friday.
Graduate student Brock Healy (Norcross, Ga.) and freshman Wilhelm Ryding (Tyreso, Sweden) each made their USF debuts at the tournament and tied for 42nd on the individual leaderboard with scores of 217. Redshirt junior Cooper Smith (Tampa) also played his first event in Green & Gold and finished with a total score of 219 after posting even-par 70 on Sunday.
Up Next
The Bulls return to tournament action later this month at the Windon Memorial Classic on September 25-26 in Northfield, Illinois hosted by Northwestern University.
About USF Men's Golf
The USF men's golf program has captured 17 conference titles and has seen players earn 19 All-America honors. The Bulls have won five American Athletic Conference Tournament championships in wire-to-wire fashion, winning four-consecutive from 2015-18. The Bulls have had four individual conference champions, including Albin Bergstrom in 2021, and gone on to earn nine straight NCAA Regional appearances, including a 6th place finish in NCAA Championship match-play in 2015. USF is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times since taking over the program in 2014. The Bulls have posted 21 tournament wins under Bradley entering the 2023-24 season, by far the most under any coach in program history.
– #GoBulls –
