Feb. 9, 2004
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Led by the play of junior Jake Thompson, who carded his second-straight 71 on Monday to remain tied for the individual lead, the South Carolina men’s golf team increased its lead to 13 strokes over in-state rival Clemson after 36 holes of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The 54-hole event is being contested over the Sawgrass Country Club’s par-72, 6,955-yard layout.
The Gamecocks, who handled blustery conditions during Sunday’s first round in fine fashion, continued their solid play in the second round by posting a team score of 1-over-par, 289, to stand at 1-over-par, 288-289-577 after 36 holes. South Carolina’s team total is 13 shots clear of Clemson’s 14-over-par score of 306-284-590, as the Tigers’ 4-under-par score on Monday is the only sub-par team round of the tournament.
In the individual standings, Thompson continued to shine; breaking par for the second time in as many days, by carding five birdies en route to the second-straight 1-under-par, 71. His 36-hole score of 2-under-par, 71-71-142 has him tied with Kentucky’s Mark Blakefield (75-67-142) and Tennessee’s David Skinns (73-69-142) for first place.
Joining Thompson in the event’s top 10 are fellow juniors Alex Hamilton and Martin Rominger. Hamilton is one of four players tied for sixth place at 1-over-par, 73-72-145, while Rominger is part of a four-way tie for 10th place at 2-over-par, 73-73-146.
Sophomore Eirik Johansen is the third Gamecock in the top 15, as he is tied for 14th place at 71-76-147. Rounding out the South Carolina contingent in the field is sophomore Robert Svensson, who is part of an eight-player logjam in 31st place at 79-73-152.
The Mercedes-Benz Collegiate will conclude on Tuesday with the final round of play. Full tournament results are available at www.golfstatresults.com.
TEAM SCORES AFTER 36 HOLES1. South Carolina 288-289-5772. Clemson 306-284-5903. Oklahoma State 308-289-5974. Florida 299-300-5995. Tennessee 303-299-6026. Georgia 314-290-6047. Kentucky 317-288-605 LSU 305-300-6059. Texas 311-297-60810. NC State 315-295-610 North Florida 318-292-61012. Duke 314-300-614 Augusta State 319-295-61414. Northwestern 319-297-61615. North Carolina 319-300-61916. Auburn 317-304-62117. Vanderbilt 322-301-62318. Florida State 326-298-624
TOP-10 INDIVIDUALS AFTER 36 HOLES1. Jake Thompson, South Carolina 71-71-142 Mark Blakefield, Kentucky 75-67-142 David Skinns, Tennessee 73-69-1424. Gregg Jones, Clemson 77-66-1435. Jason Hartwick, Texas 71-73-1446. Dustin Bray, North Carolina 73-72-145 Alex Hamilton, South Carolina 73-72-145 Jessie Mudd, Florida 73-72-145 Casey Wittenberg, Oklahoma State 75-70-14510. Jack Ferguson, Clemson 76-70-146 Martin Rominger, South Carolina 73-73-146 Kevin Silva, North Carolina 80-66-146 Camilo Villegas, Florida 72-74-146
SOUTH CAROLINA INDIVIDUALST14. Eirik Johansen 71-76-147T31. Robert Svensson 79-73-152