May 26, 2009

Team Results | Individual Results

TOLEDO, Ohio – South Carolina – and most of the rest of the 30-team field – struggled against an extremely tough golf course in the opening round of the 112th NCAA Men’s Golf Championship on Tuesday at the legendary Inverness Club. The Gamecocks shot a team score of 305 (+21) in very difficult conditions and stand tied with Southern California and Stanford – their playing partners for the round – in 22nd place.

“This is a tough golf course,” Gamecock head coach Bill McDonald said. “Our guys fought really hard. That stretch of five holes (No. 3 through No. 7) is as tough as there is anywhere. But we’re still in it. We’ve got to bounce back tomorrow like we’ve been doing all year.”

No team finished the day under par, and only five teams managed to shoot better than 10-over. As the afternoon wore on, the temperature dropped into the low 60s with winds around 20 miles per hour after the Gamecocks made the turn.

South Carolina started strong and was only one shot out of the tournament lead as the team finished the 18th (their ninth hole of the day). But a brutal stretch of holes on their back nine – the treacherous par-3 third, an uphill approach to a green with a false front on No. 4, a tricky dogleg par-4 fifth, the 231-yard, par-3 sixth and the lengthy par-4 seventh – dropped them down the leaderboard in a hurry. Among the four scores that counted toward the team total, 16 of their 21 strokes over par came on those five holes.

Senior Mark Silvers led the Gamecocks with a 3-over-par 74 to stand tied for 41st place overall. Silvers was steady on his first nine with only one bogey at the par-3 12th. Standing 1-over at the turn, he would bogey No. 1 but then come back with birdie at the second hole. The aforementioned rough stretch of holes would give Silvers three bogeys in four holes, but he came back with birdie at the eighth and a par at No. 9 to finish strong.

Brothers George and Wesley Bryan both shot 76 (+5) and are tied for 75th place. Wesley played his opening nine bogey-free with a birdie at the par-5 13th to get to 1-under at the turn. But again, the front nine would prove to be a killer as he carded six bogeys to finish with a 41 on that side. George’s round was similar as he made the turn at even par after birdies on the 10th and 15th holes with bogeys at 14 and 17. He kept the damage to a minimum for a while with bogeys at Nos. 3, 4 and 6, but a double-bogey at the seventh dropped him to 5-over.

Patrick Rada shot 79 (+8) and Sam Braver finished with 84 (+13). Both Gamecocks are making their first appearance in an NCAA Championship.

Georgia and Oklahoma State – ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the country, respectively – share the first-day lead after matching rounds of 288 (+4). Chattanooga is third after posting the low round of the morning at 292 (+8), and Washington and San Diego are tied for fourth at 293 (+9). Among SEC schools, Tennessee (+10) is tied for sixth, Arkansas (+13) is tied for 10th, Alabama (+14) is tied for 12th, and Florida (+26) is tied for 29th.

Three players share the individual lead after rounds of 69 (-2). Jonathan Bowers of Northwestern, Scott Langley of Illinois and Matt Hill of N.C. State are the co-leaders heading into the second round of play. Five other players stand tied for fourth at 1-under.

The Gamecocks, once again paired with Southern California and Stanford, will hopefully see more favorable course conditions as they tee off at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday as the final group of the morning flight. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T41. Mark Silvers III – 74 (+3)
T75. Wesley Bryan – 76 (+5)
T75. George Bryan IV – 76 (+5)
T127. Patrick Rada – 79 (+8)
154. Sam Braver – 84 (+13)

TEAM STANDINGS
T1. Oklahoma State – 288 (+4)
T1. Georgia – 288 (+4)
3. Chattanooga – 292 (+8)
T4. Washington – 293 (+9)
T4. San Diego – 293 (+9)
T6. Arizona State – 294 (+10)
T6. Ohio State – 294 (+10)
T6. Tennessee – 294 (+10)
9. Michigan – 296 (+12)
T10. Arkansas – 297 (+13)
T10. Duke – 297 (+13)
T12. Texas A&M – 298 (+14)
T12. Northwestern – 298 (+14)
T12. Alabama – 298 (+14)
T15. Illinois – 299 (+15)
T15. TCU – 299 (+15)
17. UCF – 300 (+16)
T18. Georgia Tech – 301 (+17)
T18. Iowa – 301 (+17)
20. Wake Forest – 302 (+18)
21. Texas Tech – 303 (+19)
T22. Southern California – 305 (+21)
T22. Stanford – 305 (+21)
T22. South Carolina – 305 (+21)
T25. Oregon – 306 (+22)
T25. Virginia – 306 (+22)
T25. UCLA – 306 (+22)
28. Texas – 308 (+24)
T29. Florida – 309 (+26)
T29. Arizona – 309 (+26)

ROUND 2 TEE TIMES
No. 1 Tee
7 a.m. – Oklahoma State, Alabama, Florida
7:47 a.m. – Washington, Arkansas, Tennessee
8:35 a.m. – Stanford, South Carolina, Southern California
12:30 p.m. – Texas, Chattanooga, Arizona
1:17 p.m. – San Diego, TCU, Wake Forest
2:05 p.m. – Individuals
No. 10 Tee
7:20 a.m. – Arizona State, UCLA, Georgia
8:07 a.m. – Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Illinois
8:55 a.m. – Individuals
12:12 p.m. – UCF, Texas Tech, Oregon
12:59 p.m. – Virginia, Ohio State, Northwestern
1:47 p.m. – Duke, Michigan, Iowa