In 11 seasons as golf coach at Purdue, Rob Bradley – now men’s golf coach at South Carolina – took nine Boilermaker teams to NCAA regional tournaments and produced three All-Americans.

    But in all that time, he says, he never had a week like this one.

    Saturday, as Bradley and his team prepared to compete in their first NCAA regional under the new coach in Seattle, his top player, senior Nathan Franks, was competing in the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, one of just two amateurs in the field. And that made things complicated for all involved.

    USC opens play in the regional Monday morning; Franks, who made the Classic’s 36-hole cut, will play in Sunday’s final round. Logistically … yeah, that could’ve been a problem.

    “We talked a lot about it” after Franks won a spot in the 132-player field via the tournament’s “Q” qualifier,” Bradley said. “Obviously, it’s tough to pass up a chance to play in a PGA Tour event. We’ve been very supportive, and it’s a great thing for his career, now and in the future.

    “I never would’ve advised Nathan against playing in Myrtle Beach.”

    To accommodate Franks’ USC schedule, tournament officials put together a plan to get him from The Dunes Golf & Beach Club to Myrtle Beach International Airport after his round Sunday. A Cadillac (one of the tournament’s sponsors) was to transport him there to catch a flight to Dallas, connecting to another flight arriving in Seattle around midnight Sunday.

    As a varsity athlete, “we can pay for his travel to the regional,” Bradley said. “That’s not an issue.” Tournament sponsor ONEflight, a private aviation service, was considered to provide Franks’ trip, but Bradley said the plane’s size precluded that plan.

    “We started making plans as soon as we knew he’d made the cut,” Bradley said. “I was pretty much on the phone all day (Friday); at one point, there was a plan to take him to Charleston for a direct flight. The tournament couldn’t have been more supportive.”

    That wasn’t the end the weekend’s adventure for Franks, who had to miss his USC graduation ceremony in Columbia on Saturday. Seventh District U.S. Rep. Russell Fry arranged a surprise “graduation” for the Roebuck native – complete with a USC cap and gown – at the conclusion of his round, held in the courtyard in front of The Dunes Clubhouse. Franks’ mother Shannon, sister Abby and girlfriend Brooke Blankenship, a member of the USC softball team, were also in attendance.

    “I’ll see what my tee time is (Sunday) and when we actually finish,” Franks said after receiving his diploma from Myrtle Beach mayor Brenda Bethune, about what the next 24 hours will be like. This came following his even-par round Saturday that left him at 5-under for the tournament, eight shots behind leader Carson Young, a former Clemson player.

    Asked about his hopes for the NCAA regional, he said, “I’m going to worry about this (tournament) first.”

    His advice to youngsters hoping to follow in his footsteps by playing golf? “Have as much fun as you can. If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be out here.”

    Meanwhile in Seattle, Bradley said Franks’ teammates had been following his play here via the PGA Tour app. “They’ve been super focused on how he’s playing,” the coach said.

    The Gamecocks took in a Seattle Mariners baseball game Friday night and played nine holes on the regional course, Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, WA, Saturday. “We’re ready to play. We’ve got five other guys who’re playing well,” Bradley said. Still, Franks is the Gamecocks’ ace, he said.

    “He’s a great player, and his irons are his strength. The Dunes is a good golf course for him, so nothing he’s doing has surprised me. I actually thought he’d move up the leader board (Saturday).”

    “He’s a great kid, does everything the right way. I think he’ll have a successful professional career, and this experience will give him a big confidence boost.”

    As for the NCAA regional, Bradley has a plan for that, too.

    “I’ve never had a player who didn’t play in the practice round (Sunday), so our assistant coach (Brady Gregor) will walk with Nathan in the first round to help acclimate him,” Bradley said. “We’ll see how he’s feeling, and we could sub him in after he rests up. We’ll play it by ear.”

    Bradley laughed. “I’ve not dealt with anything like this before,” he said, “but it’s a good problem to have.”

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