Arkansas coach Mike Anderson talks about the Razorbacks snapping their losing streak, getting an 81-65 win over the Gamecocks.
South Carolina’s Martin on his team’s struggles against Hogs
South Carolina coach Frank Martin talked with the media after Arkansas’ 81-65 win Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena.
Razorbacks take second in spring opener at TPC
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — No. 20 Arkansas came up just short of its second victory of the year, finishing runner-up and one shot back at the 10th annual Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass.
The Razorbacks record their second straight runner-up finish and third this season, improving their overall head-to-head record to 57-12 (.826) on the year.
Arkansas opened the day with a four-stroke lead, but South Florida made a run on the back nine and led by as many of five shots before the Razorbacks came roaring back down the stretch with six birdies on the final four holes to close the gap at 5-under.
USF’s final player made a quadruple bogey on the 18th hole to give the Bulls (-6) a slim one-stroke victory.
Liberty (-1) finished third overall, while No. 11 LSU (+2) and No. 28 Tennessee (+3) rounded out the top five.
Sophomore Luis Garza posted his best finish of the year at T-5th overall, signing for rounds of 67-69-70 – 206 (-4) to lead the team.
Sophomore Mason Overstreet continued his strong play with back-to-back rounds under par to finish T-8th at 3-under.
He has finished under par in five of his six tournaments this year and has four top-10 performances on the season.
William Buhl finished in the top 15 for the fourth time in his sophomore campaign at even par, while Alvaro Ortiz tied for 27th overall at 4-over for the championship.
Tyson Reeder and Landon Ernst both finished T-53rd at 11 over.
The Razorbacks return to action in two weeks, looking to defend their title at the SunTrust Gator Invitational Feb. 17-18 at Mark Bostick Golf Club.
Shaffer gets second weekly honor from SEC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Freshman Sarah Shaffer has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week following her 39.350 all-around performance at No. 10 Alabama, the conference office announced Tuesday.
Shaffer becomes just the third Razorback to be named Freshman of the Week twice in a season, joining Jaime Pisani (2009) and Paige Zaziski (2015).
After recording a 9.725 on vault, Shaffer recovered and scored three straight scores over 9.825, including two-consecutive 9.900’s on beam and floor to secure the all-around title in Tuscaloosa, her first of the season.
Shaffer was the only underclassmen in the SEC to score a single 9.900 on the road this past weekend.
The Tyler, Texas native was one of Arkansas’ scorers on all four events last Friday and helped the Razorbacks secure its highest road score of the season of 196.350, and its fourth-straight over 196.
Her scores of 9.900 on beam and floor set or tied new career highs on each event.
Shaffer’s Results at No. 10 Alabama
Vault: 9.725
Bars: 9.825
Beam: 9.900
Floor: 9.900
All-Around: 39.350
It’s the third weekly honor in four weeks for the Razorbacks, as Shaffer was named Freshman of the Week (Jan. 16) following Arkansas’ meet against Kentucky, and fellow freshman Sophia Carter was named Specialist of the Week (Jan. 30) following her record performance against Georgia.
Shaffer and the 10th-ranked Razorbacks return home for a top-15 matchup against No. 15 Auburn this Friday inside Barnhill Arena.
Hogs tie program record, lead at TPC Sawgrass tournament
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — No. 20 Arkansas tied its lowest round in program history Monday afternoon and holds a four-shot lead on a loaded field in the 10th Sea Best Invitational at TPC Sawgrass.
After opening the day with a 2-over 282 to sit in seventh place overall, the Razorbacks regrouped and came out firing in the afternoon round, posting a 13-under 267 to tie the program record originally during the 2003 TaylorMade Intercollegiate.
The 267 is also the second-lowest score in the 10-year history of the Sea Best Invitational, sitting only behind a 15-under 265 by Florida two years ago. Arkansas now holds two of the three lowest scores in the history of the event after posting a 272 last year.
In a loaded field that features six of the top 30 teams in the country, Arkansas (-11) leads South Florida (-7) by four strokes and Liberty (-6) by five shots. The Razorbacks are nine strokes clear of No. 28 Tennessee (-2), the only other team in red figures.
Entering the day with two of the top 25 stroke averages in the country, senior Alvaro Ortiz and sophomore Mason Overstreet put on a show in the afternoon. Both players fired 5-under 65’s as Ortiz tallied one eagle and five birdies, while Overstreet recorded six birdies, including four on the back nine.
Luis Garza had the most consistent day, opening the tournament with a 3-under 67 and following that up with a 1-under 69 to sit T-4th overall and lead the team. William Buhl is tied with Ortiz and Overstreet at T-10th overall after rounds of 70-68 – 138 (-2) that featured four birdies in the afternoon.
Tyson Reeder and Landon Ernst are T-49th at 6-over, with Ernst competing as an individual.
The Razorbacks will tee off Tuesday morning in the final round, paired with South Florida and Liberty starting at 8:30 a.m. Live Stats will be available at Golfstat.com or via the Golfstat Live app.
Anderson on Hogs’ defensive struggles lately
Arkansas coach Mike Anderson met with the media Monday ahead of the Razorbacks’ game with South Carolina on Tuesday night.
Razorbacks stay in Top 10 nationally for fourth straight week
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas held steady in the top-10 for the fourth-consecutive week, coming in at No. 10 in this week’s Road To Nationals weekly rankings with an average score of 196.310.
The Razorbacks recorded its fourth-straight score over 196 at Alabama, posting a 196.350 in Tuscaloosa.
It’s the fifth time in program history that Arkansas has had four-straight scores over 196, joining such streaks during the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 seasons.
Arkansas remained one of the top beam squads in the country, coming in at No. 5 in the nation on the event with an average of 49.230. The Razorbacks have been ranked in the top 5 on the event since the start of the season.
Freshman Sophia Carter continues to lead the team, averaging a 9.880 as Arkansas’ highest individual ranked No. 14 on the event.
In total, five Razorbacks are in the top-100 individual rankings, including Freshman Sarah Shaffer (No. 99), who recorded a 9.900 at Alabama on beam.
The Razorbacks come in at No. 14 on each of the other three apparatus’, averaging a 49.100 on floor, a 49.000 on vault and a 48.980 on bars.
On vault, senior Braie Speed continues to be the Razorbacks best athlete, ranking No. 24 with an average of 9.860. Senior Amanda Wellick and Junior Sydney McGlone rank tied for 67th with an average of 9.820 each to round out the top-100.
Speed is also ranked No. 55 as the Razorbacks’ best on bars with an average of 9.825, while Wellick and freshman Sydney Laird are tied for No. 95 with an average of 9.795.
Shaffer is the highest-ranked on floor, coming in at No. 57 with an average of 9.845. The freshman recorded a 9.900 on floor at Alabama, becoming the only freshman in the SEC to score a 9.900 on two events over the weekend.
Arkansas has matchups with No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Florida, No. 12 Denver and No. 15 Auburn left this season, along with the Mardi Gras Invitational meet in St. Louis that includes rematches against No. 2 LSU and No. 24 Missouri on Feb. 16.
The Razorbacks began the year as the preseason 19th-ranked team, and moved up to No. 11 following its week one score of 195.350 at LSU. Arkansas was ranked its highest this season at No. 8 following its 197.175 score against Georgia.
