July 9, 2010

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior men’s golfers George Bryan IV, Patrick Rada and Paul Woodbury were all named to the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar Team, which was announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America this week. The trio of Gamecocks were among 119 Division I players that received the honor.

Bryan, a sport and entertainment management major, earns the honor for the second successive year. A four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Bryan completed his Carolina career as one of the top golfers in school history with a 72.37 career scoring average, the best in Gamecock annals. He ranked 39th in the final Golfweek/Sagarin collegiate ratings and is currently 65th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. During the 2009-10 season, the native of Chapin, S.C., tied for medalist honors twice and became the second Gamecock to finish in first place at the SEC Championship.

Rada also was named to the team for the second time after earning his degree in business in May. Also a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and two-time selection to the SEC Community Service Team, Rada finished his senior season with a 74.22 scoring average. He earned a trio of top-10 finishes during the season, including a runner-up showing at the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate in September. The native of Anderson, S.C., adds this honor to a growing list as he was one of South Carolina’s two selections for the SEC’s Boyd McWhorter Graduate Scholarship.

Woodbury came on strong as a senior and put together the best season of his career. A finance major from Lake City, S.C., Woodbury finished the year with a 72.06 scoring average, which ranked second on the team, fifth in school history and ninth in the Southeastern Conference. He became the school’s first single-season multiple-event winner since Kyle Thompson in 2001 as he captured medalist honors at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate in October and the Seminole Intercollegiate in March, winning both tournaments in playoffs. For the season, he amassed four top-10 finishes and seven top-20s while posting 16 of his 31 competitive rounds at par or better.

A total of eight golfers from the SEC were named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars with South Carolina leading the way with three selections. Florida had two selections, and Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt had one apiece. Since 1990, 15 Gamecock golfers have been named All-America Scholars, with Bryan, Rada, Alex Hamilton, Eirik Johansen, Brett Quigley and Mark Silvers earning the award twice.

To be eligible for Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar status, an individual must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least two full years at the collegiate level, participiate in 70 percent of his team’s competitive rounds or the NCAA Championship, have a stroke average under 76.0, and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.