Sept. 21, 2006

South Carolina golf coach Puggy Blackmon shared his thoughts on the Gamecocks’ performance in their first event of the season, the Carpet Capital Collegiate, last weekend. Carolina placed 17th in the event, which featured a field where more than half of the teams are ranked in the top 25.

Head coach Puggy Blackmon:
“I wasn’t surprised with the first round. We took two true freshmen to compete in their first tournament and we couldn’t have picked a harder tournament. The field is almost like what you’d see at the NCAA.”

“We were disappointed with the opening round, but extremely impressed with the pride and heart in playing very solid the last two days. They did not quit. The bottom line is that we came out of there more committed to right the ship and move forward.”

“We’ve seen dramatic improvement in our intra-squad qualifying which should elevate our play significantly. We now have great depth and a much greater commitment level. Expectations are high.”

South Carolina’s next event is the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges in Jonesborough, Tenn. The tournament runs from Oct. 14 through Oct. 15. The Gamecocks captured the team title at the event in 2005.