March 27, 2010

Tournament Notes | Live Scoring

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 17 South Carolina has red numbers on its mind as the Gamecocks make the relatively short trek south for the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, which runs Sunday through Tuesday at Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, S.C. Fifteen teams will compete for 54 holes for the chance to ride “Titleist”, the mascot of Bulls Bay, and hoist the team trophy.

This is the sixth time for South Carolina to play at the Hootie at Bulls Bay, and the Gamecocks have almost always been a major factor. The team tied for second place in 2006 and 2008 and finished third last year. The 2009 team total of 846 (-6) was the sixth-lowest in school history, and the Gamecocks posted seven individual rounds of par or better at last year’s tournament.

As in every prior event this season, all five competitiors in this week’s starting lineup will not only be playing for the Gamecocks, but also for state pride as the entire Carolina lineup is native to the Palmetto State. The five competitors for the Gamecocks in the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational will be senior George Bryan IV (Chapin), senior Patrick Rada (Anderson), sophomore Wesley Bryan (Chapin), senior Paul Woodbury (Lake City) and redshirt freshman Clint Tolleson (Spartanburg).

Last year in this event, Bryan IV equaled the best round of his collegiate career, carding a 6-under-par 65 to finish at 12-under for the tournament and grab his second straight runner-up finish. The Gamecocks shot 8-under as a team in the final round of play and vaulted to a third-place finish with a 6-under 846 after starting the final round in seventh place. Bryan’s 54-hole total of 201 (69-67-65) marked the second-lowest 54-hole score in South Carolina golf history. Only John Bloomfield’s 197 (65-66-66) at the 1999 Red River Classic stands ahead of Bryan’s performance at last year’s Hootie.

The Gamecocks will square off with several strong foes, including defending champion and No. 3 Augusta State. Other ranked teams include No. 15 Clemson, No. 25 Virginia, No. 28 LSU, No. 29 East Tennessee State, No. 30 Chattanooga, No. 32 Duke, No. 35 Auburn, No. 38 Wake Forest, No. 39 NC State, and No. 45 UCF.

South Carolina will be paired with Augusta State and Duke for the first round of competition with their tee times set to begin at 10 a.m. Fans can follow the action live through Golfstat.com.