By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - This is the time of the year for the Bulls to grind on the golf course.
USF gets its second tournament of the week going Friday in Delray Beach, Fla. at the FAU Spring Break Championship. This marks the third event in less than two weeks for the Bulls, who are eager to get back to top form after finishing their last two tournaments outside of the top 10.
Head coach Chris Malloy was encouraged by his team after it was forced to play without star freshman Branden Collins in the final round of the Callaway Match Play Championship on Tuesday. Collins was unable to play because of an illness, and Bodi Karsono and Rick Kittelstad responded by giving USF 1.5 points in a loss to Kennesaw State after the Bulls automatically were in a 1-0 hole to start the round.
"Even though we didn't get the win (Tuesday), I think we have a lot to build on momentum-wise," Malloy said.
The Bulls got a huge boost in normal tournament play last weekend when freshman Trey Valentine finished in a tie for second at the Seminole Intercollegiate in Tallahassee. Valentine has finished in the top five in four of the Bulls' five non-match play events this season. His other finish was a tie for 12th at USF Invitational on March 6 in Dade City, Fla.
"The first part of learning how to win is putting yourself in a position to win," Malloy said. "That's a stage a lot of people never get to, and for him to do that is encouraging."
Friday's first round of the FAU Spring Break Championship gets underway at 8:30 a.m. Get live results at Golfstat.com and head back to GoUSFBulls.com on Friday evening for a recap of USF's opening action.
