Feb. 5, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla.– The University of South Carolina men’s golf team opened spring competition today with a score of 580 to end two rounds of play in fourth place at the 28th annual SunTrust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

Eirik Johansen and Mark Anderson finished day one tied for third place at one over par. Johansen shot rounds of 70 and 71 while Anderson shot a one-under par 69 in round one and a two-over par 72 in round two.

Robert Svensson shot rounds of 76 and 71 and moved up to a tie for 25th place after finishing round one tied for 52nd. Jake Thompson currently is tied for 56th place at 13 over par while Alex Hamilton is tied for 63rd after shooting two rounds of 77. Individual golfer Warren Thomas shot a two-over par 72 in the second round to finish 10 strokes behind the leaders and tied for 42nd.

The end of the first round saw the Gamecocks in eighth place after shooting a score of 292. The University of Central Florida finished with a 3-over par 283 to lead the field into the second round of play.

Wake Forest University currently leads all teams with a score of 577. Heath West of Louisiana State University and Brett Stegmaier of the University of Florida are tied for first place at even par. The third and final round will begin Sunday at 8 a.m.