Sept. 28, 2008

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Three straight rounds under par, including a final round 278 (-6), gave eighth-ranked South Carolina the team title at the Mason Rudolph Invitational at the Vanderbilt Legends Club, its first tournament title since the 2007 NCAA West Regional.

“The whole team contributed to this win,” Carolina head coach Bill McDonald said. “It was a little different kind of pressure in that everyone expected us to win, but they handled that pressure really well. We had the lead from start to finish, so that was different, too. It was good to go through that experience and come out on top. It was fun.

“We’ve had some close calls in the last couple of years. We lost in a playoff last year, we were second in SECs with a chance to win there. There’s been a lot of tournament we could have won, but there’s nothing like winning. These guys worked really hard and it was a goal this fall to come out of the gates and win something. We’ve already accomplished a major goal. I think we’re going to be in contention a lot this year. Having a lead on the back nine and getting it done and increasing the lead…it seemed like we weren’t having problems with that kind of pressure.”

The Gamecocks put together three straight rounds in red figures, highlighted by a 6-under-par 278 in Sunday’s final round. Carolina lapped the field, finishing with a 13-under-par 839, eight strokes ahead of second-place Kentucky and 11 shots clear of Mississippi State. Three Gamecocks – Mark Silvers III, George Bryan IV and Patrick Rada – all finished in the tournament’s top 10.

Mark Silvers III capped off his third straight round under par with a 2-under 69 to finish with a 5-under-par 208 for the tournament. His consistent play vaulted him to a fourth-place overall finish, giving South Carolina two top-5 finishes in two tournaments. Silvers rebounded from a bogey at the 4th to post birdies at 5 and 7 to go out in 34 (-1). A bogey at the 10th dropped Silvers back to even par, but he once again responded with a birdie 2 at the par-3 11th, then another birdie at the 14th got him to 2-under par.

“Mark was a rock for us, he played well the whole time,” McDonald said. “His ball-striking has gotten a lot better.

“George Bryan and Patrick Rada played very well, too. All three of those guys had great tournaments. Rada has improved a lot since last year.”

Junior George Bryan IV also posted a top-10 finish, grabbing seventh place as a 69 on Sunday got him to 3-under overall for the tournament. Bryan opened with a birdie at the first, then birdies at the 10th and 14th got him as low as 3-under for the day. A bogey at the 16th, however, dropped him to 2-under and his second 69 of the tournament.

His younger brother, freshman Wesley Bryan, continued his strong play on the weekend with a six-birdie effort to shoot another 69 for the Gamecocks. Wesley Bryan, who opened with a 79 in Friday’s first round, shot two straight 69s on the weekend to jump from 81st place after one round to a tie for 23rd overall with a 217 (+4). Bryan had three birdies and three bogeys in his first six holes and made the turn at even par, then birdies at the 14th, 16th and 17th erased a bogey at the 13th and put him in red numbers for the second straight day.

Patrick Rada made the most of his first tournament appearance of the season, shooting three straight rounds at par or better to finish at 1-under for the tournament and grab a tie for ninth place overall. Rada followed up a bogey at the third hole with three straight birdies to get to 2-under at the turn. A pair of bogeys on the back nine dropped Rada back to even par.

Allen Koon struggled for the second straight day with six bogeys and a double-bogey, but managed to limit the damage with four birdies as he shot a 4-over 75 to finish tied for 50th at 8-over-par for the tournament.

Kentucky’s Ben Fuqua was the tournament’s individual medalist as he torched the par 71, 7,100-yard layout at the Legends Club South Course with a 54-hole total of 198 (-15). Jon Curran of Vanderbilt and Jason Millard of Middle Tennessee State were each at 8-under to tie for second place.

The Gamecocks have nearly a month off before hitting the course again as they travel to Windermere, Fla., for the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational Oct. 26-28.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS

TEAM RESULTS