Schenkel E-Z-Go Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader

March 16, 2006

The No. 21/25 (GCAA/Golfweek) South Carolina men’s golf team begins the thick of its spring season March 18-19 at the 27th annual Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational in Statesboro, Ga. The event, which is hosted by Georgia Southern at Forest Heights Country Club, includes 36 holes on Saturday the final 18 holes on Sunday. The Gamecocks will participate in a practice round on Friday, beginning at 8 a.m. An 8 a.m. shotgun start is scheduled for Saturday.

Gamecock sophomore Mark Anderson looks to defend his individual title after capturing medalist honors in 2005.

As soon as they are made available each day, results will be posted on South Carolina’s official athletics web site, www.uscsports.com. Live updates throughout the tournament can be found at www.golfstat.com

GAMECOCKS IN THE RANKINGS
South Carolina slipped from No. 16 to No. 21 in the latest Golf Coaches’ Association of America Bridgestone Top 25 Poll, released on March 16. A total of five Southeastern Conference teams appear in the poll, led by No. 1 Georgia. Florida is ranked third, Tennessee is tied for No. 11 and Alabama holds down the No. 23 spot.

In the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, the Gamecocks are No. 25. Eirik Johansen and Florian Fritsch are listed among the top 35 individuals at No. 23 and 34, respectively.

CAROLINA LINEUP
Head coach Puggy Blackmon will take a senior, a sophomore a redshirt freshman and a pair of true freshmen to participate in the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational this weekend. Senior Eirik Johansen, one of only two Gamecocks to participate in all six events this season, leads Carolina in the No. 1 spot. Freshman Florian Fritsch owns a pair of top-10 finishes in his first five starts will be at No. 2. Sophomore Mark Anderson, who looks to defend his individual title, is the Gamecocks’ No. 3 player. Anderson has also played in all six events this season. Freshman Allen Koon will compete at No. 4. Koon has now been in the lineup in each of Carolina three spring tournaments. Redshirt freshman Patrick Cunning, who has been impressive in qualifying rounds, will play in his first spring event and third varsity event of the season.

Player   Tourneys    Rounds  Stroke Avg.     Low Rd.1. Eirik Johansen  6   18  73.00   682. Florian Fritsch    5   15  73.60   683. Mark Anderson    6   18  76.67   714. Allen Koon  3   9   77.22   725. Patrick Cunning    2   6   75.17   73

THE SCHENKEL FIELD
The Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational features an SEC-heavy field as South Carolina joins six of its conference competitors on the links this weekend: No. 3/3 Florida, No. 23/20 Alabama, No. 11/8 Tennessee, No. 24 Kentucky, Auburn and LSU and will participate this weekend. Other teams in the field include: No. 25/21 Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Michigan State, Augusta State, Toledo and tournament-host Georgia Southern.

AT THE 2005 SCHENKEL E-Z GO INVITATIONAL
Mark Anderson won a playoff to claim medalist honors at the 2005 Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational and the Gamecocks finished sixth in the team standings.

Anderson shot 72-71-72=215 to finish one-under par. Senior Eirik Johansen is the only other current Gamecock to compete in last year’s event. Johansen placed in a tie for 41st after carding scores of 74-75-77-226.

LAST TIME OUT (Feb. 18-19)
The 16th-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team shot a 295 in the final round and finished tied for eighth place in the 14-team Sun Trust Gator Invitational, played at the University of Florida Golf Course (Par 70, 6,701 Yards) in Gainesville, Fla.

Senior Eirik Johansen turned in the Gamecocks’ best individual effort of the event, finishing in a tie for 11th. The USC captain shot 74 (+4) on the final 18 holes. Johansen owns five top-20 finishes in six starts this season.

Freshmen Allen Koon and Florian Fritsch led South Carolina in the final round as both posted two-over-par 72s to wrap up the tournament. Koon’s final round performance pushed him into the top 25 for the second straight tournament as finished tied for 25th with a total score of 221. Fritsch closed the tournament with a total score of 225, good for a 37th-place finish.

Sophomore Mark Anderson fired a 77 (+7) on Sunday and wound up tied for 60th, while freshman Mark Silvers carded a 78 (+8) and finished tied for 56th.

Tournament-host Florida won the event for the second straight season and the 20th time in 29 tries. The Gators finished with a team total of 855, six strokes ahead of second-place Tulsa (861). TU’s Sam Korbe edged the Gators’ Brett Stegmaier in a playoff to claim medalist honors.