April 23, 2010

Tournament Notes | Golfstat Live Scoring

Spartanburg, S.C. - For senior golfers Josh Gallman and Michael Lawrence, the Fossum Invitational not only represents the end of the season, it also represents the end of two highly accomplished golf careers at USC Upstate. Lawrence will forever have his name engraved in the annals of Upstate men's golf after he claimed the school's first ever individual championship playing on the Division I level when he fired a 4-under-par 209 to win the Rutgers Invitational. He also claimed a second individual title last season and ranks second all-time in tournament wins and third in stroke average. Gallman will end his career as the best golfer to ever put on an Upstate uniform. He owns every career and single-season school record, including six tournament wins, 20 top five finishes, 32 top 10 finishes and a 72.8 stroke average. A spot in Upstate's Athletics Hall of Fame is a certainty after turning in one of the finest careers in the history of the athletics program.

Upstate will be one of seven schools participating in the Fossum Invitational this weekend. In addition to Upstate and host Michigan State, Cal State Bakersfield, Ferris State, Humber College, Ohio Wesleyan and Waterloo will compete in the event. Teams will play 36 holes on Saturday and 18 on Sunday in the 54-hole event played on the West Course at the Forest Akers Golf Club, the home course of Michigan State. It marks Upstate's second straight appearance in the tournament. Upstate claimed third place in the season-ending tournament behind Michigan State and Ball State. Baxter Culler, playing in his final tournament for the Spartans, and Gallman tied for 10th in the individual standings.

For the fourth straight tournament, Upstate will send the lineup of Gallman, Lawrence, Nate Irvin, Brian Horton and Matthew Hopper into action this weekend. Gallman has won two tournament championships this season (Rutgers and Palmas Del Mar) and finished third at the A-Sun Championship which concluded on Wednesday. He leads the Spartans with a 71.6 stroke average. Lawrence has been solid all season long. Irvin has infused the team with energy and low scores, ranking second in stroke average at 73.7. Horton tied Gallman for medalist honors at the Palmas Del Mar and, coupled with Hopper, gives head coach Todd Lawton two players capable of going low from the fourth and fifth positions.

Looking Back At The A-Sun Championship
Josh Gallman turned in an electrifying final round, one accented by roars around the green after birdie putts and hole-outs for birdie from the fairway, to move up five spots on the leaderboard and finish third at the 2010 A-Sun Championship at the Legend Course at Chateau Elan in Braselton, Ga., Wednesday afternoon. Gallman entered the final round tied for eighth, but turned in one of the top rounds of the tournament to post 69 and move to third. Upstate, which entered the day in seventh place and was nine strokes out of sixth, carded a 291 in the final round to move up a spot in the final standings, bettering its position from a year ago in the tournament. Gallman claimed his best finish in the event and his second-straight top 10 finish after finishing tied for eighth last year. Michael Lawrence finished as the second-lowest Spartan in the tournament in a tie for 26th.

Closing Out A Hall Of Fame Career
Some student-athletes turn in terrific careers and leave their mark on the program for years to come. But there are a few special individuals who leave their mark on the program, athletic department and university forever. Josh Gallman is one such individual. Playing in the final tournament of his college career, the senior from Gaffney, S.C., has one more opportunity to add to what has been a remarkable career. He already owns the Upstate career records for tournament wins (6), top five finishes (20), top 10 finishes (32), stroke average (72.8) and winning percentage (.867). He was the first men's golfer to ever secure an all-conference selection in the A-Sun. He was the first men's golfer to ever crack the top 100 in the world amateur ranking, coming in at No. 99 on March 23 in the R&A World Amateur Ranking. For the better part of three seasons, he has carried the pressure and expectations of having to deliver in every round, and he has lived up to the role with remarkable consistency and excellence. Off the course, he is a gifted student. He carries a 3.7 GPA as a Business Marketing major. In a sport that has tradition as a centerpiece, Gallman has established a tradition at Upstate that few will be able to match, but all should attempt to copy.

Gallman's National Ranking
Entering the final tournament of the year and without counting his third-place performance at the A-Sun Championships earlier this week, Josh Gallman finds himself on the brink of moving back into the top 100 in the world amateur ranking by the R&A. He currently ranks 101st in the world by the R&A. The organization also ranks him 50th in the United States. He is ranked 187th in the world and 77th in the United States by Sratchplayers.com and 201st in the world and 73rd in the United States by Golfweek/amateurgolf.com. He currently sits 75th in the latest Golfstat Cup ranking which ranks all college golfers in NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and JUCO.

Building For 2010-11
While Josh Gallman and Michael Lawrence will play their final collegiate tournaments this weekend, Nate Irvin, Brian Horton and Matthew Hopper will use the tournament to build momentum for next season. The three players have been mainstays in the lineup for the past three tournaments and helped lead the Spartans to the team championship at the Palmas Del Mar Collegiate Classic in March. The three players will form the nucleus of the team next season and will be looked upon to lead because of their tournament experience. All three have shown the ability to grind out rounds and go low.