March 20, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

BALL GROUND, Ga. – South Carolina fell in both its matches on the opening day of the Callaway/GCAA Match Play Championship, dropping matches to top-seeded UCLA and eighth-seeded Georgia at Hawks Ridge Golf Club on Sunday.

In the day’s opening match, the Gamecocks were blanked 5-0 by the No. 2-ranked Bruins in the first match play event for South Carolina since 2007. Freshman Logan Harrell and sophomore Clint Tolleson went the distance in their matches, with Harrell falling to Connor Driscoll, 1 up, and Tolleson dropped a 2-up decision to Alex Kim. Harrell was in a back-and-forth battle that never fluctuated more than one hole either way, and the match was all square through 17 holes. But Driscoll made par on their closing hole while Harrell carded a bogey. Tolleson fought back from a two-hole deficit to take a 1-up lead through 14 holes, but then dropped three of the final four holes.

Wesley Bryan and Blaine Woodruff dropped 3 & 2 decisions to Mario Clemens and Patrick Cantley, respectively, and Dean Hester lost to Gregor Main, 4 & 2.

No. 13-ranked Georgia took a 4-0-1 victory over the Gamecocks in the day’s second match. Bryan picked up a half-point for Carolina, halving a match with the Bulldogs’ Hudson Swafford. After Bryan won the first hole, the two were all square for the next six holes before Swafford took the lead on the eighth hole of the match. Bryan squared the match two holes later, then Swafford re-took the lead with a birdie at the 13th. Bryan again squared the match three holes later, and the pair both made pars on the last two holes to earn a halve.

Harrell fought his way back from a four-hole deficit, fighting back to a one-hole margin with two to play. But a birdie by T.J. Mitchell at the match’s 17th hole clinched a 2 & 1 victory. Tolleson won the first two holes of his match with Michael Cromie, but then dropped the next two and fell behind five holes later as Cromie went onto a 3 & 2 victory. Defending SEC champion Russell Henley took a 3 & 2 victory over Woodruff, and Harris English defeated Hester, 4 & 3.

The Gamecocks will face 13th-seeded Baylor in their third-round match on Monday.

CALLAWAY/GCAA MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
FIRST ROUND
(1) UCLA 5, (16) South Carolina 0
Patrick Cantlay (UCLA) def. Blaine Woodruff (SC), 3 & 2
Gregor Main (UCLA) def. Dean Hester (SC), 4 & 2
Mario Clemens (UCLA) def. Wesley Bryan (SC), 3 & 2
Connor Driscoll (UCLA) def. Logan Harrell (SC), 1 up
Alex Kim (UCLA) def. Clint Tolleson (SC), 2 up

CONSOLATION BRACKET
(8) Georgia 4, (16) South Carolina 0, 1 match halved
Russell Henley (UGA) def. Blaine Woodruff (SC), 3 & 2
Harris English (UGA) def. Dean Hester (SC), 4 & 3
Wesley Bryan (SC) vs. Hudson Swafford (UGA), halved
T.J. Mitchell (UGA) def. Logan Harrell (SC), 2 & 1
Michael Cromie (UGA) def. Clint Tolleson (SC), 3 & 2