Oct. 9, 2007

MACON, Ga. – In his first tournament of the season, South Carolina senior Mark Anderson guided the Gamecocks to a fourth-place finish in The Brickyard Collegiate Championship, played over the last three days at The Brickyard at Riverside. South Carolina used solid scoring in the second round Monday to move into the top five and held steady there through the final round, finishing at 816 (-3). Anderson finished tied for 11th at 213 (-3), missing a top-10 finish by just one stroke.

Opening the tournament with a 69 (-3), Anderson carded a 74 on Monday before closing with a final-round 70. His four birdies, including two on the final four holes, on Tuesday offset a pair of bogeys. He amassed 12 birdies over the three rounds to rank among the top 10 in that category for the tournament.

Junior Allen Koon matched his career-best tournament with a score of 215 (-1) to finish in 16th position, the best finish of his career. His final-round 69 tied his career low and was highlighted by three birdies and an eagle, which came on the par-5 sixth. Koon improved with each round of the tournament, scoring 74 on Sunday and following up with a 72 on Monday.

Sandwiching a second-round 69 between a 74 and 75 in the first and last rounds, respectively, junior Patrick Cunning claimed 24th place in the field with a three-round score of 218 (+2). He ranked third in par three scoring in the tournament and carded eight birdies in the event.

Sophomore George Bryan IV was the steadiest scorer of the team, turning in 73 in each of the three rounds to finish in 30th place. While the numbers were the same, the routes to them were decidedly different. In the first round, an eagle on the par-5 sixth saved three bogeys, while three birdies in round two overcame to bogeys and a double bogey. In the final round, Bryan sprinkled four birdies, including the ninth and 18th holes, in with five bogeys and nine pars.

Junior Mark Silvers completed the five-man team for the Gamecocks, finishing in 34th place with a three-round score of 221 (+5). A second-round 70 was his best round of the tournament as he carded six birdies. Silvers battled the front nine in the final round, playing the first half of the course at +4 before holding steady at even par on the back nine. He shot 75 in the opening round.

In the tournament, No. 3 Georgia held onto its second-round lead to win the team title. The Bulldogs scorched the course in round two, posting a 273 (-15) to move past day-one leader Clemson. Georgia held off the No. 10 Tigers by eight strokes in the end. The individual medalist battle was fought out among Bulldogs with Harris English, competing as an individual, taking the title by one stroke over teammate Brian Harman. English opened with a 65, carded a 71 in the second round and closed with a 68 on Tuesday to rally past Harman.

The Gamecocks have just two days between tournaments this week as they head to the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn., which begins on Fri., Oct. 12.

FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia 278-273-280=831 (-33)
2. Clemson 277-276-286=839 (-25)
3. Georgia Tech 283-278-280=841 (-22)
4. South Carolina 290-284-287=861 (-3)
5. Kennesaw St. 301-283-286=870 (+6)
T6. Eastern Michigan 285-293-294=872 (+8)
T6. Furman 290-286-296=872 (+8)
8. Troy 295-292-296=883 (+19)
9. Middle Tennessee St. 294-290-300=884 (+20)
10. Akron 289-306-297=892 (+28)
11. Mercer 297-305-299=901 (+37)
12. Gonzaga 300-306-301=907 (+43)
13. Hartford 304-306-299=909 (+45)