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By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

REUNION, Fla. - The core group of Bulls moving forward now really knows what it takes to win a Big East Championship after going through three valuable rounds at the Reunion Resort and Club.

Freshman Branden Collins and sophomore Bodi Karsono finished in a tie for 19th place, and freshman Trey Valentine wound up in the top half of the field while the USF men's golf team ended its conference tournament run in ninth on Tuesday afternoon. Top-seeded Notre Dame won the event with a 12-under score on the par-72 Watson Course.

"Certainly we came here to win a championship and we did not. I obviously felt we could have played a lot better golf and that's disappointing," Malloy said, "however, turning the page there is a lot we can build on. We have some underclassmen that have some championship experience and that's important."

Collins posted rounds of 74, 73 and 75 to get to 6 over in his first full event in a long time after battling an illness throughout the spring. The Tallahassee native led the Bulls with 10 birdies overall and posted his fourth top-25 finish of the season.

"For Branden to come out and to continue to get better this spring is a very encouraging sign," Malloy said.

Karsono entered the final round in a tie for 11^th and went 2 under in his first nine holes with two birdies. The Gainesville native wound up going 6 over on the next nine, but he still impressed his coach by shooting a 72, 74 and 76 in his fourth top-25 finish of the season.

"He had three solid rounds of golf and that was good to see," Malloy said. "He works really hard and he really gets the best out of his game. I was very proud of him."

Valentine ended up in a tie for 26^th at 8 over after shaking off a second-round 78 and bouncing back with a final round of 74 that included two birdies and 12 pars.

"We need to rally around these two freshmen that are now sophomores. They're going to be our leaders next year," Malloy said.

Aside from the possibility of Valentine making it to NCAA Regionals, the Bulls are now gearing up for next season that includes another young batch of talent which will help the program chase after its first-ever Big East title.

"We'll be a better team next year. We'll have more firepower and we'll be ready for it," Malloy said.

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