Oct. 20, 2005

The University of South Carolina men’s golf team is set to compete in the UCF/Isleworth Collegiate Invitational at the Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla. The tournament tees off on Sunday, Oct. 23, and runs through Tuesday, Oct. 25, with 18 holes to be played each day.

Live updates throughout the tournament can be found at www.Golfstat.com.

THE ISLEWORTH FIELD
The Gamecocks will join Arizona State, Augusta State, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Toledo, UCF, UCLA, UNLV, Southern California, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest at the UCF/Isleworth Invitational. The field includes nine teams ranked in this week’s Golfweek/Sagarin Top 25, and 13 that appear in the top 50.

Defending national champion Georgia, which won the team title at last season’s UCF/Isleworth Invitaitonal is ranked No. 1. Georgia Tech is No. 2, Oklahoma State is third, UNLV is fourth, Duke comes in at No. 8, Kentucky is ninth, UCLA is No. 10, Arizona State holds down the 12th spot, South Carolina is 20th and Wake Forest comes in at No. 23.

GAMECOCK LINEUP
Head coach Puggy Blackmon’s lineup for the UCF/Isleworth Invitational consists of freshman Florian Fritsch, senior Eirik Johansen, sophomore Mark Anderson, freshman Allen Koon and freshman Mark Silvers.

Koon and Silvers will be competing in their first varsity event for the Gamecocks.

GAMECOCKS WIN BANK OF TENNESSEE INTERCOLLEGIATE
South Carolina is fresh off winning the team tournament title at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, which was played at The Ridges Golf and Country Club in Jonesborough, Tenn., Oct. 15-16. It marked the Gamecocks’ first team win since the 2003-04 season, which saw Carolina bring home three event titles.

The Gamecocks had a pair of top-five individuals in freshman Florian Fritsch and senior Eirik Johansen. Sophomore Mark Anderson turned in a 12th-place finish. 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.

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 carded a 74 in the final round and finished in a tie for 43rd with teammate Patrick Cunning. Cunning shot 76 on the tournament’s final 18 holes. (Rankings are based on stroke average)

GAMECOCKS IN THE RANKINGS
In the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, the Gamecocks are No. 20. Invidiually, freshman Florian Fritsch is No. 2 and senior Eirik Johansen holds down the No. 21 spot.

INFUSION OF YOUTH
The 2005-06 South Carolina roster features just two upperclassmen, in seniors Eirik Johansen and Robert Svensson, and a total of four players who competed during the 2004-05 season, including sophomores Mark Anderson and Warren Thomas.

Two redshirts are seeing their first collegiate action this season, freshman Patrick Cunning and sophomore David Kite. The Gamecocks welcome four new players, all of them true freshmen, in Florian Fritsch, Allen Koon, Baker Elmore and Mark Silvers.

GARNET SQUAD
South Carolina has gone to a two-tier tournament schedule this season, sending the Garnet squad to some events. USC’s Garnet team placed fourth at the Raines Development Group Intercollegiate in Florence, S.C., on Sept. 20. The team captured the Billy Joe Patton Intercollegiate title on Oct. 11 in Hickory, N.c. with freshman Allen Koon tying for medalist honors.

GARNET TO COMPETE AT COKER COLLEGE INTERCOLLEGIATE
USC’S Garnet team is scheduled to play in the Coker College Intercollgiate in Hartsville, S.C., Oct. 23-25. Redshirt freshman Patrick Cunning, redshirt sophomore David Kite, sophomore Warren Thomas, senior Robert Svensson and freshman Baker Elmore will represent USC.