Bergstrom grabs individual title to lead South Florida back to the top of the heap in AAC

    South Florida, No. 36 in the latest Golfstat rankings, reclaimed the American Athletic Conference title with a solid five-shot victory over No. 24 Southern Methodist in the conference championship that wrapped up May 2^nd at Southern Hills Golf Club in Brooksville, Fla.

   It was the fifth American championship in six seasons for the Bulls, who also earned the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA regionals. South Florida earned a six seed in the Noblesville Regional, which tees off Monday at The Sagamore Club in Noblesville, Ind. Monday.

   South Florida was led by individual champion Albin Bergstrom, a sophomore from Sweden who closed with a sparkling 6-under-par 66 over the 7,221-yard, par-72 Southern Hills layout to pull away for a three-shot victory.

   The Bulls grabbed the lead right from the start, firing the best team round of the tournament in the April 30^th opening round, an 18-under 270. They fell back a little with a 4-over 292 in the May 1^st second round before closing with a solid 3-under 285 for a 17-under 847 total.

   SMU could never quite catch up to South Florida as the Mustangs opened with a 1-under 287 and added a 2-under 286 that left them 11 shots behind the Bulls heading into the final round. SMU closed with a solid 9-under 279 to finish with a 12-under 852 total, five shots behind South Florida.

   SMU still earned an at-large NCAA regional bid and will tee off in the Stillwater Regional at the Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. as a four seed.

   It was Memphis that halted South Florida’s run of AAC championships two years ago at the Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla. But it was SMU, the runnerup two years ago, that took off on a postseason run that saw the Mustangs grab the eighth spot in the match-play bracket in a playoff in the NCAA Championship at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.

  It is not often that a team from outside of Division I’s “Power Five” conferences crashes the match-play party at the NCAA Championship. It was an achievement the entire AAC could point to with pride.

   It was a solid showing for Cincinnati at Southern Hills as the Bearcats closed with the low round in the final round, a 13-under 275, to end up four shots behind SMU in third place with an 8-under 856 total. Cincinnati had opened with a 1-over 289 before adding a 4-over 292 in the second round.

   Wichita State, firing the best team round of the second round, a 9-under 279, finished nine shots behind Cincinnati in fourth place with a 1-over 865. The Wheatshockers had opened with a 9-over 297 and closed with a 1-over 289.

  Three teams, Memphis, which claimed the last American Championship two years ago at Innisbrook, Central Florida and East Carolina, finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 5-over 869.

   The Tigers opened with a solid 3-under 285 before posting a pair of 4-over 292s. UCF matched par in the opening round and in the final round with 288s around a 5-over 293 in the second round. The Pirates opened with a 1-under 287 and added a 2-over 290 before closing with a 4-over 292.

   It was probably a little bit of a disappointing weekend for Temple, which finished the last of eight at Southern Hills with a 37-over 901 total, not so much the last-place finish, but I suspect the Owls had hoped to play a little better. But it was a busy spring for Temple, which went a year or so between competitions between the sudden end to the 2019-2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of play for the fall portion of the 2020-’21 season as the pandemic continued to rage.

   The Owls opened with their best round of the weekend, an 8-over 296, before struggling to respective rounds of 302 and 303 in the second and third rounds.

   Bergstrom opened with a solid 4-under 68 and added a 1-under 71 in the second round that left him three shots behind 36-hole leader Marcus Wochner, a sophomore at Wichita State from Denmark, heading into the final round. But his final-round 66 gave him an 11-under 205 total and a three-shot victory.

   Backing up Bergstrom for the Bulls were Lance Gifford, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., and Kyle Flexsenhar, a senior from Lake Mary, Fla., both of whom landed in the group tied for eighth place at 2-under 214.

   Gifford grabbed a share of the opening-round lead with a sizzling 6-under 66 before struggling in the second round with a 79 and finishing up with a 4-under 68. Flexsenhar matched his teammate’s opening-round 66 and a second-round 73 left him in a tie for second place with Bergstrom, three shots behind Wochner going into the final round. Flexsenhar closed with a 3-over 75.

   Sam Nicholson, a freshman from Atlantic Beach, Fla., gave South Florida a fourth finisher inside the top 20 as he opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 before closing with a 75 to end up among the group tied for 19^th place at 3-over 219.

   Rounding out the South Florida lineup was Run Youprayong, a freshman from Thailand who opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 before closing with a 76 to finish among the group tied for 22^nd place at 4-over 220.

   Wichita State’s Wochner was a third player to come out of the gate with a 66 and he added a 2-under 70 to take the lead going into the final round. He matched par in the final round with a 72 to end up in a tie for second place at 8-under 208, three shots behind Bergstrom.

   Wochner was joined at 8-under by Cincinnati’s Sam Jean, a sophomore from Greenwood, Ind., and SMU’s Noah Goodwin, a junior from Corinth, Texas and No. 31 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   Jean[ added a 3-under 69 to his opening-round 71 before closing with a 4-under 68. Goodwin, winner of the 2017 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Flint Hills Golf Club in Andover, Kan., carded a pair of 2-under 70s in the first two rounds before closing with a 4-under 68.

   Cincinnati’s Clay Amlung, a junior from Louisville, Ky., and UCF’s Clement Charmasson, a junior from France, finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 5-under 211.

   Amlung added a 73 to his opening round of 1-under 71 before closing strong with a 5-under 67. Charmasson opened with a solid 4-under 68 and added a 73 before finishing up with a 2-under 70.

   East Carolina’s A.J. Beechler, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C., was a shot behind Amlung and Charmasson in seventh place with a 4-under 212. Beechler added a 1-under 71 to his opening-round 72 before closing with a 3-under 69.

   Leading the way for Temple was senior Dawson Anders, who starred scholastically at Souderton. Anders, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 2017 Junior Boys’ Championship, added a 77 to his opening round of 1-over 73 before finishing up with his best round of the weekend, a 1-under 71, to end up in the group tied for 26^th place at 5-over 221.

   Junior Conor McGrath, an Academy of the New Church product, finished alone in 34^th place at 10-over 226 as he matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 3-over 75 before closing with a 78.

   McGrath was the lone holdover from the veteran Temple team that finished in fifth place in the American Championship two years ago at Innisbrook.

   Graham Chase, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., finished in a tie for 36^th place with a 227 total as he carded a pair of 2-over 74s in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 79.

   Junior Buddy Hansen, a scholastic standout at La Salle, finished alone in 38^th place at 230 as he sandwiched a 76 in the second round with a pair of 77s.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was sophomore Andrew Curran, the winner of the 2018 Bert Linton Inter-Ac League individual crown as a senior at Malvern Prep. Curran had a pair of 78s in the first two rounds before finishing up with a 5-over 77 to end up in 40^th place at 233.

   Temple head coach Brian Quinn will have some experience in his lineup when college golf resumes when it should resume this summer.

 

 

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