Sept. 11, 2008

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Ranked 19th in the GolfWorld/Nike Golf Coaches Preseason Poll, South Carolina men’s golf opens its 2008-09 season at the 20th Annual Carpet Capital Collegiate at The Farm Golf Club in Dalton, Ga., on Fri., Sept. 12. The Gamecocks are one of 11 teams in the field ranked in the preseason top 25 and one of eight Southeastern Conference teams, all nationally ranked, set to tee it up this weekend. South Carolina will be looking to move up a half step at the tournament after tying for first in last year’s event. The Gamecocks bring a wealth of talent and one young gun to the event. Seniors Mark Silvers III and Allen Koon, juniors George Bryan IV and Paul Woodbury will guide freshman Wesley Bryan through his first collegiate tournament.

“I am excited to get the season started, and this course and event provide a stern test,” South Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. “We had quite a battle in qualifying, and this team is ready to play some great golf. I know the guys would like to redeem themselves after losing in a playoff last year, and the fact that the Carpet Capital is held in my hometown makes this event even more special.”

George Bryan IV is the established headliner of the group, coming off an all-conference and all-region season in 2007-08. His 72.47 average last season was second on the team and 15th in the SEC. He tied for third in the Carpet Capital Collegiate last season, his first of three top-five finishes on the year.

Silvers was third on the club last season with a 73.13 average. He came on strong in the spring, turning in three top-15 finishes in the final four events of the year. Koon finished 18th in this event last season and followed it with a 16th-place showing at The Brickyard Collegiate the next time out. He closed out the season with a 73.93 average in five tournaments.

Woodbury qualified for his first varsity tournament since last fall when he went 3-1 in the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play event. He had a strong summer, advancing to the second round of match play at the U.S. Amateur and will look to establish a spot in the Gamecocks’ regular lineup with a strong showing in the season opener.

Wesley Bryan, younger brother of George, enters his college career with a wealth of confidence after finishing second in stroke play at the U.S. Amateur Championship and playing into the second round of match play. A two-time South Carolina Class AAAA Boys State Champion for Dutch Fork High, Bryan enjoyed an outstanding summer, advancing to the round of 16 at the U.S. Amateur Public Links and setting the course record at The Standard Club in Duluth, Ga., with a 63 in the first round of the U.S. Amateur Qualifier.

The Gamecocks will battle a traditionally stiff field at the Carpet Capital Collegiate. The other nationally ranked teams are No. 3 Georgia, No. 6 Clemson, No. 7 Florida, No. 8 and defending tournament champion Alabama, No. 10 and host Georgia Tech, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 16 Auburn, No. 18 East Tennessee State, No. 20 Wake Forest and No. 25 North Carolina. The rest of the 18-team field includes fellow SEC teams Mississippi and Mississippi State as well as Central Florida, Chattanooga, Georgia State, Texas Tech and UAB.

–www.GamecocksOnline.com–