South Carolina is about to get a little bit of home cooking.

Coach Bill McDonald grew up in Dalton, played golf at Georgia Tech, his parents still reside there, and one practice round will his make players feel comfortable heading into the NCAA East Regional.

“This is like coming home,” McDonald said. “We all have a bit of history in the area.”

McDonald played in the Chattanooga Classic in 1992 — a PGA Tour stop at the time — at Council Fire Golf Club which is the site of the regional which begins Thursday.

His team earned first place — according to rankings and computers — at Carpet Capital Collegiate last fall by taking Alabama to a playoff.

The Gamecocks’ finish in the early-season event helped propel South Carolina to the No. 3 seed in the regional.

They are slated to stop a few miles south of Council Fire on Monday in order to play in a practice round in Rocky Face, Ga. George Bryan IV tied for third at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in September.

“The team played well there at The Farm, and we had a really solid year,” said McDonald whose team had its best finish of the year outside Dalton. “On paper, we were credited with a win, and I really want the guys to win a tournament out-right this year.

“This would be a good time.”