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March 24, 2007

Coming off its best finish of the season, the South Carolina men’s golf team heads to the third annual Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate this weekend. Tourament play begins on Sunday, March 25, and continues through Tuesday, March 27 at Bulls Bay Golf Club (Par 71, 7,147 yards) in Awendaw, S.C. Carolina tees off at 11:20 a.m. Sunday in the first round. Live scoring can be found online at www.golfstat.com or by following the links from the South Carolina’s official athletics web site, USCsports.com.

THE 2006-07 GAMECOCKS
The 2006-07 South Carolina men’s golf team has eight letterwinners back from last season’s team, which competed in the NCAA Championship for the 14th time in school history. Despite the experience, Carolina is a youthful group with no seniors and only three juniors on the 12-man roster.

GAMECOCK LINEUP
South Carolina’s five-man lineup for the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate includes freshman George Bryan IV (74.16), sophomore Allen Koon (74.83), sophomore Baker Elmore (76.22), sophomore Mark Silvers (77.00) and junior Mark Anderson (75.50).

COACH’S QUOTE
Associate Head Coach Bill McDonald: “The team is really excited about playing in the Hootie at Bulls Bay. I look for us to have a good week based upon the fact that we have played well here in previous years. We created some positive momentum from our good play at The Chris Schenkel last week and I know that the guys can’t wait to get started. The greens are the fastest we have seen all year, and with the dry conditions I expect Bulls to be a tremendous test for everyone.”

SOUTH CAROLINA AT THE HOOTIE
>> The inaugural Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate was played in 2005 and the Gamecocks placed seventh with rounds of 288-296-297=881. Kentucky captured the team title. >> A year ago, Carolina posted its best finish of the spring season by tying for second. The Gamecocks recorded rounds of 279-283-296=858. Wake Forest took home the team title. >> In 2006, Eirik Johansen and Florian Fritsch led Carolina individually, tying for ninth after firing 215. >> Alex Hamilton was the Gamecocks’ top finisher (218,T10th) in 2005.

THE HOOTIE FIELD
The following teams comprise the 15-team field for the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate: South Carolina, Wake Forest, UCF, Augusta State, North Carolina, LSU, NC State, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Kentucky, College of Charleston, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Arkansas and Duke. Five of those teams are ranked in the latest Golfweek Poll, including No. 11 Coastal Carolina, No. 17 North Carolina, No. 22 Duke, 24th-ranked and 2006 tournament winner Wake Forest and 25th-ranked Florida State.

SOUTH CAROLINA AT THE HOOTIE IN 2006
The South Carolina men’s golf team turned its best performance of the spring season by finishing tied for second among a 15-team field in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, played at Bulls Bay Golf Club (Par 71 — 7,229 yards) in Awendaw, S.C. Both senior Eirik Johansen and freshman Florian Fritsch placed in a tie for ninth to lead the Gamecocks. South Carolina (279-283-296=858) tied with UCF (289-282-287=858). On the strength of stellar first and second rounds, Wake Forest (275-277-290=842) claimed the team title, finishing 16 strokes ahead of the field. Fritsch led all USC golfers with a final round 70 (-1) on Tuesday, capping his third top-10 finish of the season. Johansen, who carded a final round 78, notched his fifth top-10 finish of the season and the 19th of his South Carolina career. Sophomore Mark Anderson shot 75 in the final round and placed in at tie for 22nd. Redshirt freshman Patrick Cunning fired 76 and wound up in a tie for 26th. Freshman Allen Koon rounded out the Carolina lineup in a tie for 33rd following a final round 75.