University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Derek Plucienski Qualifies for 105th Southern Amateur Championship
6/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 22, 2011
West Point, Miss. - Southern Miss redshirt junior Derek Plucienski carded a three-under par 69 to tie for first at the Southern Amateur Qualifier, played at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss.
"I'm looking forward to going back to the Southern Am," said Plucienski. "It will be my second time playing in the tournament. It should be a lot of fun and hopefully I can play well."
Plucienski's round earned him a spot in the 105th Southern Amateur Championship, to be played July 13th-16th at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Port Harbor, Fla.
Plucienski is coming off a year that saw him be named Second Team All-Conference USA. He was the only golfer to participate in all 11 team events this year. His stroke average of 72.81 over 32 rounds is the third lowest in Southern Miss history.
The Slidell, La. native had two top five finishes, five top ten finishes and nine top 20 finishes, which is tied for fourth in school history, one behind the record. He also has 15 rounds of par or better on the year. He earned his first career victory at the 2010 UTA/Waterchase Intercollegiate, which was the first Southern Miss individual victory since Joel Myrick won the 2006 Adam's Cup of Newport.
Plucienski began the season in record-breaking fashion, recording two of the three lowest scores in Southern Miss history at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, including a school record 63 in the first round. At that tournament, he also set the school record for lowest 54-hole score with a 201.
A week later, Plucienski earned his first career victory at the UTA/Waterchase Intercollegiate, recording a 65 in the second round and setting a Southern Miss 36-hole record with a 133.
Plucienski finished the year with a 73.1 stroke average, which is the fourth best single season average in school history.