April 15, 2008

Complete Results

Complete Final Results in PDF Format

Charlote, N.C. - USC Upstate men's golf standout Josh Gallman closed out the 2007-08 season with another top 10 finish, finishing in a tie for ninth at the Palisades Collegiate Classic hosted by Charlotte at the Palisades Country Club Tuesday afternoon.

After cold, cloudy and rainy conditions pelted the participants for 36 holes Monday, the players in the 14-team tournament were greeted with sunshine Tuesday. However, everything was not bright for the final round as 20 mph sustained winds caused the scores to go up from the first day. Upstate was not immune to the wind, finishing the tournament with a 317 Tuesday to finish 11th with an 894 total. With the end of the tournament came the end of the Spartans' first season in NCAA Division I.

"I am extremely proud of the guys with the way they carried themselves and the competitive effort they showed today," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "You could see that they wanted the challenge today and accepted it. You can't make excuses for poor play, but I fully expect them to learn from this and learn from our first year in Division I as we move along in the process and get ready for next year."

Gallman turned in a 77 Tuesday as the low Spartan, but his work Monday allowed the sophomore from Gaffney, S.C., to finish the tournament with a 2-under-par 214 total. The top 10 finish marked the 11th time in 12 tournaments this year that Gallman has finished in the top 10. He won four individual championships on the year and has been named the A-Sun Player of the Month on three occasions.

"Josh has proven that even on our bad days, he grinds things out and shows his competitive characteristics," said Lawton.

The host Charlotte 49ers shot their highest round of the tournament Tuesday, turning in a 294. However, it was good enough for the nation's fourth-ranked team to win the team championship with a three-round total of 856. The Palisades Collegiate Classic boasted a strong field with five teams ranked in the top 100 in the latest Golfstat rankings.

Virginia Commonwealth, which shot a strong 283 Tuesday, finished second with an 862 effort and was followed by Augusta State (869), Marquette (870), Old Dominion (873), Belmont Abbey (879), UNC Greensboro (880) and Campbell (880), Xavier (884), Francis Marion (890), Upstate (894), Nebraska (898) and Eastern Michigan (898), and Davidson (943).

Individually, Virginia Commonwealth's Vincent Nadeau led the charge with his third straight round under par, finishing with a 67 and a 10-under-par tournament total to win the championship.

Gallman led the way for Upstate in the tournament with his ninth-place finish. Tyler Tucker finished off a solid tournament by finishing tied for 39th with a 224 total. Baxter Culler finished 60th after a 230 total. Michael Lawrence finished one stroke back of Culler with a 231 total and finished tied for 61st. Jamie Lightsey finished 76th with a 240 total.

Upstate closed out the 2007-08 season at the Palisades Collegiate Classic. By any measure, the season was a success as the Spartans competed for the first time on the NCAA Division I level. Upstate won two team championships, the season-opening Rutgers Invitational and the BSC Classic this spring. Individually, the Spartans were strong in winning six individual tournament titles in 12 tournaments.