Oct. 22, 2006

WINDERMERE, Fla. —The University of South Carolina men’s golf team got off to a strong start on the opening day of play Sunday at the Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Invitational. The Gamecocks fired a team round of 292 (+4) and sit in second place through 18 holes, just one stroke behind tournament leader Georgia at the par 72, 7,544-yard Isleworth Golf and Country Club.

The 18-team field at Isleworth features 10 teams currently ranked in Golfweek’s Top 25.

Junior Mark Anderson (Beaufort, S.C.) and freshman George Bryan IV (Chapin, S.C.) set the pace for South Carolina. Both players shot a one-under par 71 to open the tournament and are tied for sixth on the individual leader board. Bryan and Anderson played steady golf. Bryan was two-under on the front nine while Anderson birdied three of his first four holes and finished three-under par on the back nine.

Junior Warren Thomas (Columbia, S.C.) played the back nine one-under par and carded a first-round 74. Thomas is tied for 29th individually. Freshman Paul Woodbury (Lake City, S.C.) recorded nine straight pars to open his round and went on to finish the day four-over with a 76, which currently ties him for 51st. Sophomore Baker Elmore (Cheraw, S.C.) rounded out the South Carolina lineup with a first-round 79 (+7) and sits tied for 75th.

Carolina leads Tennessee third-place Tennessee by one stroke. The team leader board is tight as only seven strokes separate first-place Georgia, the tournament’s two-time defending champ, the 13th-place Texas A&M. Other SEC teams on the leader board include Florida (T-4th) and Kentucky (T-15th).

The Gamecocks will tee off the second round on Monday beginning at 9:30 a.m. Final round play is on Sunday. Live scoring is offered throughout the event on golfstat.com. For additional information about the Isleworth/UCF Collegiate Invitational, visit isleworthcollegiate.com.

Gamecocks on the Individual Leader BoardT6  Mark Anderson: 71 (-1)T6  George Bryan IV: 71 (-1)T29  Warren Thomas: 74 (+2)T51  Paul Woodbury: 76 (+4)T75  Baker Elmore: 79 (+7)
Team Leader Board (Through First Round, Oct. 22)1 Georgia       291 (+3)2 South Carolina     292 (+4)3 Tennessee     293 (+5)T4 Texas        294 (+6)T4 Oklahoma State   294 (+6)T4 Florida      294 (+6)7 Arizona       295 (+7)T8 Duke         296 (+8)T8 North Carolina   296 (+8)T10 Clemson     297 (+9)T10 Florida State       297 (+9)T10 Georgia State   297 (+9)T13 Texas A&M       298 (+10)T13 Georgia Tech    298 (+10)T15 Texas Tech      300 (+12)T15 Kentucky        300 (+12)17 Wake Forest      307 (+19)18 UCF          318 (+30)