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