Despite having one of the youngest teams in the region, the 2016 University of South Carolina Aiken golf team was ranked nationally throughout the entire season, won a tournament and earned a berth to the NCAA South/Southeast Regional.
Four USC Aiken student-athletes garnered all-conference honors. Hubert Tisserand garnered first-team honors while Johnson Holliday and Axel Östensson tallied second-team accolades. Newcomer August Lindvall's season was strong enough for him to earn PBC Freshman of the Year honors, marking the second straight year a Pacer has taken home such hardware.
Östensson and Tisserand's seasons were strong enough for the dyad to be named to the Division II PING All-Region teams.
For the season, Tisserand led the way with a 73.0 stroke average. He picked up a win at the season-opening Kiawah Island Invitational. Additionally, he landed another top-five finish and one more in the top 10 of a tournament. Tisserand's 15 rounds of par or better was top on the squad.
Holliday was not far behind him, accounting for a 73.8 stroke average. He posted a top-five and a top-10 effort on the year. Holliday was second on the team with 12 rounds of par or better. His 66 on the final round of the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate was the best of the year for any USC Aiken student-athlete and was among the best in school history.
Östensson tied Holliday with a 73.8 stroke average and registered a top-10 finish for the season. He totaled nine rounds of par or better.
Lindvall's play was solid throughout the season, finishing with a 74.5 stroke average. He posted eight rounds of par or better.
Samuel Schiff played the majority of the competitions for the Pacers as he notched a 75.4 stroke average. Playing in 10 events, he totaled four rounds of par or better, with a low round of 70.
At the season-opening Kiawah Island Invitational, head coach Michael Carlisle's team posted a low-round of 284 after the first 18 holes. The squad continued its solid play by besting the next-closest team by three strokes over the next 18 holes en route to a six-stroke victory over Flagler and Georgia College.
At the event, Tisserand, who opened with an even-par, 72, finished the event with a five-under par, 67, during the second round. His two-round total of 139 was good enough for him to be the individual medalist by a mere stroke. Holliday's one-under par, 143, allowed him to tie for eighth place.
From there, the Pacers played at the Saint Leo Men's Invitational. The squad posted a solid 15-under par, 849, en route to a seventh-place finish. Tisserand (-7), Holliday (-4) and Lindvall (-1) all produced top-25 finishes.
USC Aiken squared off against Division I teams at the Firestone Invitational. The team wrapped up a ninth-place effort, beating seven squads.
Carlisle's squad wrapped up the final fall tournament at the Camden Intercollegiate. The squad took home a fourth-place finish in the Division I field that had 11 teams. Tisserand's three-over par, 213, was good enough for eighth place.
After a seventh-place showing at the Matlock Invitational, the team regrouped to place third at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate, which was against 16 Division I teams. Holliday took home silver medalist honors with an 11-under par, 205. He notched scores of 69-70-66.
The Pacers hosted the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate. There, the squad finished 11th in the tournament.
USC Aiken closed out the regular season with finishes of 15th, 15th and 13th heading into the PBC Championship. The team took home a third-place finish. Tisserand led the way with a fifth-place effort, earning him all-tournament team honors.
Carlisle's team earned a berth in the loaded NCAA South/Southeast Regional, where it finished 10th. Although the squad missed going to the NCAA Championship, the squad wrapped up the tournament by posting the lowest score in the third round (287).
With everyone coming back next season, the USC Aiken golf team should able to compete once again for a PBC Championship, region title and an NCAA Championship.
