Sept. 27, 2009

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – South Carolina’s 10th-ranked men’s golf fired a final-round 282 (-2) to finish at 556 (-12) and tied with Middle Tennessee State for first place at the rain-shortened Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate, but fell to the Blue Raiders in a sudden-death playoff for the tournament title. Senior Patrick Rada led the team for the second straight week, turning in a career-best performance to tie for second place overall at the Vanderbilt Legends Club on Sunday.

Rada, a native of Anderson, S.C., shot rounds of 67-69=136 (-6) to finish in a tie for second place overall, a career-best showing for the Carolina senior. After a birdie at the second hole, he went bogey-double bogey on the next two holes to get to 2-over. But from there on, he was nearly flawless. A birdie at No. 7 made him 1-over at the turn, and then he countered a bogey at the 11th by making birdie on four of his last five holes to get to 2-under for the day. It marks the best 36-hole total of Rada’s career and the first time he has ever posted consecutive rounds in the 60s.

Redshirt freshman Clint Tolleson was especially impressive, tying for 10th place in just his second collegiate event after rounds of 68-71=139 (-3). Like Rada, Tolleson had trouble in the early-going with a bogey at the first and a double at the fifth. But he would remain bogey-free the rest of the day, carding birdies at the eighth, 11th and 18th to shoot 34 on the back nine and finish at even par for the day and 3-under for the tournament.

Tolleson was one of three Gamecocks to post even-par rounds on the day. George Bryan IV made the turn at 1-under with two birdies and a bogey on the front nine, then carded two bogeys and a birdie on the back to shoot 71. Paired with his 69 on Friday, Bryan IV finished at 2-under for the week, tied for 16th place.

Sophomore Wesley Bryan was the third Gamecock to fire an even-par 71 on the day, finishing at 1-over for the tournament and tied for 30th place. After a rocky start that saw him make the turn at 3-over, Bryan would stay at that number heading to the 17th after two bogeys and two birdies on his first six holes of the back nine. But birdie at the 17th and an eagle at the par-5 18th would pull Bryan back to even par for the day.

Senior Paul Woodbury shot 75 in the final round to finish at 145 (+3) and tied for 40th place.

The event was shortened to 36 holes after heavy rains forced the cancellation of Saturday’s second round. The teams played 18 holes on Sunday.

The Gamecocks at MTSU tied for the tournament title at 556 (-12) as the Blue Raiders shot 11-under in the final round to climb from a tie for eighth place to the top of the leaderboard. Arkansas State finished third at 11-under after leading the tournament Friday with Georgia Tech fourth and Notre Dame in fifth.

Jonathan Randolph of Mississippi ran away with medalist honors, posting rounds of 64-67=131 (-11), five shots clear of Rada and Vanderbilt’s Ryan Haselden.

South Carolina returns to action in two weeks as the Gamecocks look to defend yet another tournament title at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate at Daufuskie Island, S.C.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T2. Patrick Rada – 67-69=136 (-6)
T10. Clint Tolleson – 68-71=139 (-3)
T16. George Bryan IV – 69-71=140 (-2)
T30. Wesley Bryan – 72-71=143 (+1)
T40. Paul Woodbury – 70-75=145 (+3)

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
T1. Middle Tennessee (-12) (won playoff)
T1. SOUTH CAROLINA (-12)
3. Arkansas State (-11)
4. Georgia Tech (-9)
5. Notre Dame (-6)
6. Vanderbilt (-5)
7. Mississippi (-2)
8. Memphis (-1)
9. South Alabama (+9)
10. Davidson (+10)
11. Coll. of Charleston (+12)
12. Akron (+13)
13. Western Carolina (+26)
14. Belmont (+27)
T15. Mississippi State (+30)
T15. Tennessee-Martin (+30)
17. Lipscomb (+38)