April 2, 2008

Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate men's golfer Josh Gallman has earned A-Sun Golfer of the Month honors for the third time this year, release the conference Wednesday.

Gallman, a sophomore business major from Gaffney, S.C., won golfer of the month honors from the A-Sun in September and October. With his selection for the month of March, he has now won three of the five monthly awards given out by the A-Sun this year.

"To win the A-Sun Golfer of the Month award is not something that is just given away, it is earned," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "Josh is very deserving of this honor. The fact that he has won it three times epitomizes the hard work he has put into utilizing his talents and posting good scores. I couldn't be more happy or proud of him and what he has accomplished."

Gallman had a standout March, beginning the month with back-to-back individual titles and finishing with four top 10 finishes in four tournaments. He started the month by winning the Lonnie D. Small Classic hosted by Campbell on March 3-4. He finished the 36-hole tournament 3-under-par to win the championship in the 15-team tournament. He won the next week at the Samford Intercollegiate, finishing with an 8-under-par performance in the 54-hole, 17-team event. He finished in a tie for 10th at the Lamkin Grips/Cal Poly Intercollegiate in California on March 27-28. He finished the 15-team, 54-hole tournament with a 5-over-par effort. Finally, he finished third in the Wofford Invitational that concluded Tuesday. He shot a 3-under-par total in the 54-hole, 11-team event.

Gallman played 11 rounds in March, finishing at par or better nine times and breaking par on six occasions. He had a 304-11 head-to-head record against 315 competitors and posted a 71.2 stroke average during the month of March.

"It feels good, obviously, to win it (A-Sun GOTM) three times," said Gallman. "It's nice to see that the hard work I have put into my game is paying off. I just try to play the best golf I can and help the team."

Overall, Gallman owns a 71.6 stroke average and is 858-53 head-to-head against tournament competitors this season. He has played in 11 tournaments this year, finishing in the top 10 an amazing 10 times and winning four individual championships in Upstate's first year competing on the NCAA Division I level. Last year, he helped lead Upstate to a second-place finish in the NCAA Division II National Championships and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors.

Upstate ends its widely successful first season in Division I Apr. 14-15 at the Palisades Invitational in Charlotte.

"I want the team to finish strong in our last tournament in Charlotte," said Gallman. "We want to go and show those guys what Upstate golf is all about."