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Oct. 16, 2005

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – The University of South Carolina men’s golf team captured the team title at The Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate on Sunday at The Ridges Golf and Country Club (Par 72, 7,147 yards) in Jonesborough, Tenn. Carolina had a pair of top-five individuals in freshman Florian Fritsch (Wiesloch, Germany) and senior Eirik Johansen (Stavanger, Norway). Sophomore Mark Anderson (Beaufort, S.C.) turned in a 12th-place finish.

The win marks the Gamecocks’ first team championship since March 16, 2004, at The Palmetto Intercollegiate. Carolina shot 289 in the final round to finish with a team score of 859. The Gamecocks were five-under par and eight strokes ahead of second-place Auburn.

“It was a great team effort,” head coach Puggy Blackmon said. “It was a good win against a really strong field. We were solid, top to bottom. Our high score each round was very respectable, in the 68 to 73 range, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Fritsch, who was playing in his first collegiate event, finished second on the individual leaderboard. All three of his rounds were under par, including Sunday’s 69. Fritsch was eight-under for the tournament and just three strokes behind medalist Rhys Davies of East Tennessee State, the tournament’s host.

“Florian had a phenomenal weekend,” Blackmon said. “I think our young lineup really made an impression.”

Johansen, the only upperclassman in USC’s lineup, placed fourth. He shot a one-over par 73 in the final round and finished three-under for the tournament. This marks Johansen’s second top-five finish in two events this season and the eighth top-five performance of his career.

Anderson fired a final round 73 and placed tied for 12th. He was two-over par in the event and notched his fourth top-15 finish at South Carolina.

Freshman Baker Elmore (Cheraw, S.C.) carded a 74 in the final round and finished in a tie for 43rd with teammate Patrick Cunning (Aiken, S.C.). Cunning shot 76 on the tournament’s final 18 holes.

In addition to second-place Auburn, three other SEC teams competed in the event. Alabama finished tied for fifth, Tennessee placed ninth and LSU finished 15th. Eleven of the 15 teams were ranked in Golfweek’s top 50 entering the weekend.

“This gives us good momentum going into Ilseworth next week,” Blackmon said. “This gives them confidence.”

The Gamecocks are next in action Oct. 23-24 at the Ilseworth Collegiate Invitational, played at Ilseworth Country Club, in Orlando, Fla.

This Bank of Tennessee title is the second win of the week for the Gamecock golf team. USC’s Garnet squad won the title at the Billy Joe Patton Intercollegiate on Tuesday.

SOUTH CAROLINA INDIVIDUALS2 Florian Fristch, 71-68-69=2084 Eirik Johansen, 69-71-73=213T12 Mark Anderson, 72-73-73=218T43 Patrick Cunning, 74-75-76=225T43 Baker Elmore, 79-72-74=225
TEAM LEADERBOARD1 South Carolina -5 286-284-289=8592 Auburn +3 300-285-282=867T3 TCU +7 284-293-294=871T3 East Tenn. St. +7 293-285-293=876T5 North Carolina +12 296-278-302=876T5 Alabama +12 293-296-293=8767 Kent State +13 298-286-293=8778 Virginia Tech +16 294-296-290=8809 Tennessee +17 295-294-292=881T10 Northwestern +26 303-292-295=890T10 Florida State +26 290-297-303=89012 Wake Forest +27 299-299-293=89113 Oklahoma +31 307-300-296=89514 Virginia +34 302-300-296=89815 LSU +35 294-308-297=899