April 16, 2010

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Sophomore Wesley Bryan shot 69 (-1) on Friday to lead South Carolina to a tie for fourth place on the opening day of the SEC Men’s Golf Championship, being played at Sea Island Golf Club. The Gamecocks shot 282 (+2) as a team on the par 70, 6,991-yard Seaside Course to stand just four shots out of the tournament lead.

Bryan’s round of 69 (-1) was his 14th of the season at par or better, and it was his third time to break 70 on the year. He posted a 36 (+1) on the front nine that included eight pars and a lone bogey at the fourth hole, but he rolled off three birdies in four holes after making the turn to get to 2-under. A bogey at the 16th would drop him back to 1-under, but he would par his last two holes to finish with a back-nine 33 (-2). He was one of 10 players to post rounds of 69 on the day.

Seniors George Bryan IV and Paul Woodbury were one shot back of the younger Bryan with matching rounds of 70 (E). Bryan IV went 35-35 for his round after birdies on Nos. 2 and 7 to get to 2-under. But back-to-back bogeys at the 8th and 9th holes dropped him back to even. He fell to 1-over after another bogey at No. 11, but a birdie at the par-3 17th got him back to even for the day. Woodbury bogeyed the second hole but posted birdies at Nos. 4 and 6 to make the turn at 1-under. He would only have one blemish on the back nine, a bogey at the 13th, to finish at even for the day. The Gamecock senior duo are tied for 14th place.

Freshman Clint Tolleson, playing in his initial SEC Championship, shot 73 (+3) and is tied for 36th place. He made the turn at 1-over after three bogeys and two birdies on the front, then had back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16 to fall to 3-over. Senior Patrick Rada shot 77 (+7) in the opening round.

Arkansas holds the team lead after posting a 278 (-2), two shots ahead of Florida and Auburn, who both shot 280 (E). The Gamecocks are tied for fourth place with Mississippi State at 2-over. Individually, Georgia’s Bryden Macpherson and Arkansas’ Dalton Owens are tied for the lead after rounds of 67 (-3), with Vanderbilt’s Trey DelGreco one shot back at 2-under. Ten players are tied for fourth place at 1-under with a group of 12 players at even par.

South Carolina will once again be the first group off the No. 1 tee on Saturday morning, paired with Georgia and Mississippi State, with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. Live scoring is available through Golfstat.com, and fans can receive periodic updates via Twitter by following @GamecockMGolf.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T4. Wesley Bryan – 69 (-1)
T14. George Bryan IV – 70 (E)
T14. Paul Woodbury – 70 (E)
T36. Clint Tolleson – 73 (+3)
T52. Patrick Rada – 77 (+7)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Arkansas – 278 (-2)
T2. Auburn – 280 (E)
T2. Florida – 280 (E)
T4. SOUTH CAROLINA – 282 (+2)
T4. Mississippi State – 282 (+2)
T6. Georgia – 283 (+3)
T6. Tennessee – 283 (+3)
T6. LSU – 283 (+3)
9. Vanderbilt – 284 (+4)
10. Ole Miss – 288 (+8)
11. Kentucky – 296 (+16)
12. Alabama – 297 (+17)