April 2, 2004

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 11th-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team will join nine other top-25 teams this weekend when it travels to Augusta, Ga., to compete in the 27th annual Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational on April 3-4. The 54-hole tournament will be contested at the newly renovated, par-72, 7,231-yard Forest Hills Golf Club layout.

The Gamecocks have recorded three-straight top-three team finishes this spring including a second-place finish at last week’s Atlanta Intercollegiate. South Carolina will be joined in the Augusta State Invitational field by Alabama, Augusta State, Clemson, Duke, East Tennessee State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Minnesota, North Carolina, NC State, North Florida, Notre Dame, Texas, Toledo, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.

Leading the Gamecock individuals in the field will once again be sophomore Eirik Johansen, who tied for 12th at the Atlanta Intercollegiate and tops the team with a 72.07 stroke average. Johansen has recorded six top-10 finishes and eight top-20 placements on the year. Junior Alex Hamilton has been one of South Carolina’s most consistent performers in recent weeks, notching two-straight top-10 finishes, including ties for 10th at both the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational and the Atlanta Intercollegiate. Hamilton currently ranks third on the team with a 73.31 scoring average.

Junior Martin Rominger has also been solid of late for the Gamecocks, as he tied for 15th along with teammate Jake Thompson at the Atlanta Intercollegiate. Rominger is second on the team with a 72.29 scoring average and has seven top-20 finishes to his credit on the year. Thompson had his second-best finish of the season in Atlanta and is currently fifth on the team with a 74.17 stroke average.

Live scoring of the Cleveland Golf/Augusta State Invitational will be available at www.golfstatlive.com. A recap of South Carolina’s daily results will be posted at www.uscsports.com. The Gamecocks will begin play on Saturday in threesomes with Clemson and Georgia beginning at 8 a.m.