June 9, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior Mark Silvers III and junior George Bryan IV added another honor to their growing lists Monday afternoon when they were both named to the PING Honorable Mention All-America Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America. It is the second honorable mention All-America honor for Bryan and the first for Silvers. In addition, both golfers, along with freshman Wesley Bryan, were named to the All-Southeast Region team.

Silvers completed his South Carolina career with a 18th-place tie at the NCAA Championships May 26-28 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. He finished the season with a 72.74 stroke average to lead the team and recorded four top-10 and eight top-20 showings on the season. His best tournament finish came at the General Jim Hackler Invitational in March when he tied for third place, but his most impressive outing was in the final round of the NCAA Southeast Regional when he fired a 7-under-par 64 to propel the Gamecocks into the NCAA Championships. Previously this season, the native of Savannah, Ga., was named the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to being selected to the All-SEC second team. He closes his Carolina career with a 73.15 stroke average, ranking him fifth all-time in Gamecock history.

Bryan IV, who also earned Honorable Mention All-America honors as a freshman in 2007, finished only three strokes behind Silvers for the team scoring title this season with an average of 72.82. Bryan IV also posted his share of strong tournament showings, including back-to-back runner-up finishes and five top-10 placements. His best tournament came at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate where he shot 69-67-75=201 (-12) to grab runner-up honors while shooting the second-best 54-hole score in school history. The Chapin, S.C., native was named to the All-Southeast Region team for the third straight year, joining Eirik Johansen as the only two Gamecocks to be so honored three straight seasons.

Wesley Bryan adds the All-Southeast Region honor to his selection to the SEC All-Freshman team after a strong rookie season at South Carolina. He finished third behind Silvers and his older brother with a 73.09 stroke average in 12 tournaments. He recorded five top-20 finishes on the season and shared medalist honors with teammate Paul Woodbury at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate in Daufuskie Island, S.C., in November.