> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # USF Men's Golf sits near middle after Round 1 of NCAA Championships - URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/usf-mens-golf-sits-near-middle-after/ - Published: 2025-05-24T01:36:31.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T15:47:17.000Z - Description: The Bulls tackled a tough La Costa course on Friday, and got stronger as a beautiful Southern California day continued. - Author: Collin Sherwin - Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44 Led by a -2 70 from reigning AAC Champion Jake Peacock, the South Florida Bulls finished with a team total of +5 after their first round at the 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships from La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California on Friday. While play continues, the Bulls sit in 15th place out of the 30 teams in the tournament. Three rounds will lead to a cut down to 15 teams and the top individual players after Sunday’s action, with the top eight teams after the fourth round going to match play to determine the team national championship. Stroke play for the individual championship will end after the fourth round. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) “They know the golf course is severe, and hole locations are difficult,” said Bulls head coach Steve Bradley. “And as the day got on and things got more and more challenging, as the wind picked up and as things picked up… they battled to the end. And that’s all you can ask.” “I knew coming in this was the biggest week of the year for us,” said Peacock, who is the two-time American Conference individual champion. “I was hitting some close approach shots, and I wasn’t converting any putts really, but I was just staying patient out there.” Peacock’s dart on the 172-yard Par 3 8th left him a tap-in to get back to even, and birdies on No. 14 and 17 on the way in has him T-15 in the individual competition with a few teams left on the course. The leaders sit at -5 as of now. The putter that heated up for Peacock is well-worn, as it’s the same flatstick he’s used basically since he was 11 years old. “I’ve had it since I guess 2014, something like that,” said the Bulls current leader in the PGA Tour U rankings at No. 19\. “There were a couple times she was in timeout, but those were brief moments.” Wilhelm Ryding was the No. 2 player for the Bulls after firing an even par 72 on Friday. He finished with four birdies and four bogeys, including a terrific tee shot on the Par 3 16th to set up a birdie to start the difficult closing stretch on the challenging layout. Steve Bradley walked the entire day with Ryding, as he has since March, with assistant coach Brad Caldwell looping between the rest of the team. “I think Wilhelm is the most talented kid we have on the team. And in saying that, he can hit golf shots on command,” said Bradley. “And he might hit it one out of 10 times, but he can do it and he’ll try and do it again. He just needs somebody to give a clear idea of the shot they want to hit.” Collegiate golf coaches can do everything a caddie does except carry the bag, including read greens and give yardages. Nino Palmquist (+3), Cooper Smith (+4), and Shubhab Jaglam (+5) rounded out the field for the Bulls. The low scores of the best four players after all rounds from the team of five are used to calculate the team score. “I think we did a pretty good job managing our emotions. Certainty execution was not normally what we’re used to, but I think you can by the scores and what you’ll see this afternoon, par is a really good score around here,” said Bradley. While the Bulls put their first peg in the ground at 6:52 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, that will shift to a starting time of 12:12 p.m. tomorrow. With San Diego’s infamous May Gray keeping things foggy until mid-morning every day, the course is expected play a bit tougher and firmer for the afternoon groups all week long. “I think the good thing is we played the last pretty much nine holes in what we’ll see all day tomorrow afternoon, and we played it pretty solid,” said Bradley. “I think the hard part is getting here. I know you want to win a national championship, that’s what you work for all year, but the hard part is what we accomplished a week and a half ago in Seattle (at NCAA Regionals) and getting here to be one of the 30 teams.” “Because once you get here, everything starts all over again.” [Subscribe](#/portal/signup)