April 1, 2008

Complete Results

Complete Final Results in PDF Format

Spartanburg, S.C. - On a day when scores went high, USC Upstate men's golfer Baxter Culler went low, shooting the lowest round of the day to finish with a 67 and a top 10 finish at the Wofford Invitational Tuesday afternoon at Carolina Country Club. The junior's efforts allowed Upstate to take second place in the team standings.

Culler birdied five of his last six holes to finish with a 5-under-par 67 on the day. He finished ninth in the individual standings with a three-round total of 219. Culler was instrumental last season as Upstate cemented itself as one of the top emerging programs in college golf. He earned All-America honors and won the Peach Belt Conference individual championship while leading Upstate to a second-place finish in the NCAA Division II National Championships. While his play has been solid this season, he has watched as teammates Josh Gallman, Michael Lawrence and Tyler Tucker have won titles. However, no one was better than Culler Tuesday in conditions that started cold and ended windy.

"This morning on the range, it really seemed like Baxter was driven to play the type of golf he played in the fall and all of last year," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "He started the first few holes 1-under and then he finished strong. He has always worked hard for us, has always been motivated, and has accepted the challenge of his teammates playing well. His round today solidified us in second place for the tournament."

Gallman, from nearby Gaffney, turned in a solid 72, holding together a round when his putter didn't particularly work well at times and he didn't strike the ball as consistently as he has all season. Still, he made birdie on the par-5 18th hole to finish even-par for the day and at 3-under-par 213 for the tournament, finishing third behind Presbyterian's Hugh Morrison and Furman's Ben Goforth, each turning in 210 totals. Morrison was declared the individual champion on a scorecard tiebreaker.

Culler and Gallman helped lead Upstate to a second-place finish in the team standings. The Spartans shot 295 on the day, the second best score Tuesday, to finish four shots back of team champion Furman. Furman entered the final round with a three stroke lead over Upstate and finished with a 294 to take the win with an 872 total. Upstate's 876 total was eight strokes better than Presbyterian in third. Wofford, the host of the tournament, finished fourth with an 890 total and was followed by Stetson (893), Akron (899), Radford (900) and Appalachian State (900), Elon (906), USC Beaufort (921) and High Point (924) in the 11-team field.

"Looking at the tournament before it began, we thought if we played well, we would have a chance to win," said Lawton. "At the same time, we knew that it was the type of field that even if we played well, we could still finish in the middle of the pack. So, finishing second is exciting. Playing head-to-head with Furman today and falling just a couple shots short of a quality program like they are is a pretty good showing."

Michael Lawrence, who shot a 67 in the second round Monday to help deliver a second-place standing to the Spartans heading into the final round, finished with a 76 Tuesday. His 220 total was good enough for a top 10 finish, finishing in a tie for 10th with four other players. Tyler Tucker finished the tournament with a 229 total and was tied for 30th. Jamie Lightsey finished tied for 36th with a 231 total.

Two other Spartans played as individuals in the tournament. Andy Brooks improved his scores each round, finishing with a 243 total and in 56th place. Jeffery Horton finished tied for 38th at 232.

Upstate will wrap up its first season playing on the NCAA Division I level April 14-15 at the Palisades Intercollegiate in Charlotte, N.C.