April 2, 2005

AUGUSTA, Ga.– The No. 17 University of South Carolina men’s golf team sits in a tie for seventh place after one round of play at the Augusta State University Invitational in Augusta, Ga. The Gamecocks currently are 11 strokes behind leader East Tennessee State after shooting a 26-over par 314 to open the tournament. Today’s second round was postponed until tomorrow due to dangerous winds topping 50 mph at Forest Hills Golf Club (Par 72- 7,231 yards).

“It was extremely tough conditions today,” said head coach Puggy Blackmon. “The wind blew down three big pine trees during play and it became a dangerous situation for the players so they brought them in after 18 holes. The course also is not in good shape; the greens are very bumpy.”

Freshman Mark Anderson, who is sixth in the national rankings, leads South Carolina in a tie for fifth place with a 3-over par 75, while junior Eirik Johansen shot a 6-over par 78 and is tied for 22nd place. Freshman Warren Thomas carded an 8-over par 80 and sits in 47th place, while junior West Streib and senior Alex Hamilton both shot a score of 81 (+9) to place them in a tie for 55th place.

“Mark Anderson’s 75 was a solid score,” stated Blackmon. “We are still within striking distance and that was our goal for the day, to stay in the tournament.”

Other SEC teams in the field are No. 3 Georgia in fourth place (+20) and No. 22 Alabama in sixth place (+23). In-state rival Clemson sits in 17th with a score of 321 (+33).

East Tennessee State’s Rhys Davies was the only golfer in the field to shoot under par in the first round with a score of 70. He leads Augusta State’s Scott Jamieson and Georgia’s Chris Kirk by two strokes.

The field will play 36 holes tomorrow, weather permitting, with the second round beginning at 8 a.m. Live scoring and full results can be found at www.golfstatresults.com.

Individual Scores
T5 Mark Anderson 75 (+3)
T22 Eirik Johansen 78 (+6)
T47 Warren Thomas 80 (+8)
T55 Alex Hamilton 81 (+9)
T55 West Streib 81 (+9)

Team Scores
1 East Tennessee St. 303 (+15)
2 Augusta State 304 (+16)
3 Georgia Southern 305 (+17)
4 Georgia 308 (+20)
5 Notre Dame 310 (+22)
6 Alabama 311 (+23)
T7 North Florida 314 (+26)
T7 South Carolina 314 (+26)
9 UCF 315 (+27)
10 Duke 316 (+28)
T11 Southern California 317 (+29)
T11 North Carolina 317 (+29)
T13 Toledo 318 (+30)
T13 Wake Forest 318 (+30)
T15 Minnesota 320 (+32)
T15 North Carolina State 320 (+32)
17 Clemson 321 (+33)
18 Virginia Tech 322 (+34)