March 27, 2007

AWENDAW, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s golf finished ninth in the third annual Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, played at Bulls Bay Golf Club (Par 71, 7,261 yards) Tuesday in Awendaw, S.C. The Gamecocks shot a one-under par 283, their best round of the tournament, today and concluded the event with at total score of 289-294-283=866 (+14). Freshman George Bryan IV (Chapin, S.C.) placed in a tie for 11th to pace the team.

Carolina was the highest finisher among five Southeastern Conference schools in the 15-team field that included five squads ranked in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Top 25.

Bryan recorded a final round 70 to finish the three-day event two strokes under par (69-72-70=211). The only Gamecock to compete in all seven varsity events South Carolina has entered this season, Bryan recorded his second top-20 finish Tuesday.

Sophomore Allen Koon (Bamberg, S.C) was Carolina’s top performer in Tuesday’s final round after shooting a career-best round of 68 (-3). It also represented the best round of any Gamecock during the tournament and helped him to jump 17 spots on the individual leader board. With the exception of a double bogey on No. 11, Koon recorded five birdies and 12 pars Tuesday to finish at six-over par for the tournament. Koon and sophomore Mark Silvers (Savannah, Ga.) both tied for 36th individually. Silvers posted rounds of 73-72-74=219 (+6).

Junior Mark Anderson (Beaufort, S.C.) finished one stroke back of Koon and Silvers with a three-round total of 72-76-72=220 (+7), good for a tie for 42nd. Sophomore Baker Elmore (Cheraw, S.C.) was nine-over par with rounds of 75-74-73=222 and shared 52nd place.

Augusta State’s Wallace Booth captured medalist honors with a total score of 71-69-65=205 (-8). At 12-under par, Wake Forest (283-279-278=840) and Baylor (283-280-277=840) tied atop the team standings and the Demon Deacons defeated the Bears on the third hole of a sudden death playoff to win the tournament for the second straight year.

The Gamecocks return to action Friday, March 30, when they begin play in the Administaff Augusta State Invitational at Champions Retreat in Evans, Ga. The Invitational runs through Sunday, April 1. Live scoring will be available online at www.golfstat.com or by following the links from South Carolina’s official athletics web site, USCsports.com.

South Carolina Individuals (Final)
T11, George Bryan IV, 69-72-70=211 (-2)
T36, Allen Koon, 75-76-68=219 (+6)
T36, Mark Silvers, 73-72-74=219 (+6)
T42, Mark Anderson, 72-76-72=220 (+7)
T52, Baker Elmore, 75-74-73=222 (+9)

Team Leader Board (Final)
T1. Baylor: 840, -12 (283-280-277)
T1. Wake Forest: 840, -12 (283-279-278)
3. Florida State: 845, -7 (274-289-282)
4. UCF: 846, -6 (270-288-288)
5. Augusta State: 855, +3 (286-292-277)
6. Duke: 860, +8 (288-291-281)
T7. Coastal Carolina: 862, +10 (285-290-287)
T7. North Carolina: 862, +10 (287-293-282)
9. South Carolina: 866, +14 (289-294-283)
10. LSU: 870, +18 (288-288-294)
11. NC State: 871, +19 (297-293-281)
12. College of Charleston: 875, +23 (291-295-289)
13. Kentucky: 876, +24 (301-285-290)
14. Vanderbilt: 885, +33 (292-300-293)
15. Arkansas: 894, +42 (307-293-294)