April 26, 2003

St. Simons, Ga. – Riding on the back of West Streib, the University of South Carolina men’s golf team jumped to third place in the Southeastern Conference Championships with two rounds completed. In round two, the Gamecocks blasted the low round score of the tournament so far, 285, which moved them up two spots in the standings. The always difficult par-70 Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club is host to the three-day tournament.

Georgia and Tennessee are tied for first after shooting a two-day total of 577. South Carolina, in third place, is just six strokes back with 583. The Auburn Tigers are fourth, while Florida and Alabama are tied for fifth.

Playing in his first SEC Championship, the redshirt freshman fired the low round score of the day, two-under-par 68. Streib, one of five players to shot under-par today, is currently tied for ninth with a two-day total of 144.

“To have your one and two players not play well and your number four and five players step it up and shoot the low round scores of the day is very encouraging,” commented South Carolina Head Coach Puggy Blackmon. “We enter day three in the final hunt. This is a big test for us.”

Also playing in his first SEC Championship is freshman Eirik Johansen, who is currently in seventh place. Johansen shot even-par during round one and posted a three-over-par score of 73 in round two for a total of 143.

Alex Hamilton struggled in round one before firing even-par 70 during day two. Hamilton’s two-round total of 148 places him in a tie with teammate Nash Elliot for 22nd place. Elliot, playing very consistently, shot two rounds of 74. Closing out the five-mad squad is sophomore Martin Rominger. With a total of 156, Rominger stands in 50th place.

“This is the hardest course we have played all year and we are playing well,” stated Coach Blackmon. “This is a big boost for us.”

Georgia’s Kevin Kisner leads the individual race with a four-under-par score of 136.

The final round of the SEC Championship tees off at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 27. Live scoring of the tournament can be viewed at www.secsports.com.

Gamecock FinishesT7  Eirik Johansen         70-73=143T9  West Streib            76-68= 144T22 Alex Hamilton          78-70=148T22 Nash Elliot            74-74=14850  Martin Rominger        80-76=156
Team Finishes1. Georgia                    288-289=5772. Tennessee                  289-288=5773. South Carolina             298-285=5834. Auburn                     291-293=584T5. Florida                   292-293=585T5. Alabama               293-292=5856. Arkansas                   299-291=5907. Ole Miss                   304-290=5948. Kentucky                   303-307=6109. Vanderbilt                 302-310=61211. Mississippi State         313-303=61612. LSU                       315-309=624