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April 15, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

Coach Burcin

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – On a day when the winds howled across the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course, South Carolina junior Wesley Bryan put together one of the better rounds of the day with a 1-over-par 71 to tie for eighth place in the first round of the SEC Championship. The Gamecocks shot a team round of 294 (+14) and are in ninth place, but only three shots back of fourth place.

Bryan, a junior from Chapin, S.C., had the Gamecocks’ best round on a day that saw very few low scores. After starting with six straight pars, he made the turn at 2-over with bogeys at 16 and 18. Another bogey at No. 2 dropped him to 3-over, but he would play his final seven holes at 2-under, making birdies at Nos. 5 and 8, then barely missing a birdie try at the ninth to finish at 1-over for the day. He is tied with six others for eighth place as only three players in the field broke par on the day.

Freshman Caulder Moore, making his first appearance in the SEC Championship, posted a 73 (+3) that took numerous twists and turns. He made bogey at No. 11, his second hole of the day, but then rolled off four straight pars before a bogey-birdie-bogey finish to his first nine, making the turn at 2-over. Two birdies and a bogey on his first four holes of the front nine got him back to 1-over, but he would bogey Nos. 7 and 9 to finish off a 3-over-par day and take a tie for 21st place into Saturday’s second round.

Dean Hester, a sophomore from nearby Dublin, Ga., had one of the more steady rounds of the day for the Gamecocks. He made eight pars and one bogey on his first nine to turn at 1-over, then immediately got that stroke back with a lengthy birdie putt at No. 1. After a great save from the bunker for par at No. 2, he got up-and-down for par at the third, then managed to make a bogey despite hitting his tee shot in the water at No. 4. Three pars over his next four holes left him at 2-over for the day, but struggles around the green on No. 9 gave him a double-bogey and a round of 74 (+4).

Dykes Harbin and Blaine Woodruff both finished off rounds of 76 (+6) to mark their first 18 holes at an SEC Championship. Harbin had a mostly calm round, but two double-bogeys on Nos. 8 and 18 were score-killers as the rest of his round consisted of a birdie, two bogeys and 12 pars. Woodruff started with four pars, but made the turn at 5-over after a triple-bogey at the 18th. He would climb to 8-over with three more bogeys on the back, but birdies on his last two holes gave him an opening 76.

Florida shot 285 (+5) and holds a one-shot lead in the team standings over Tennessee and Arkansas. Individually, LSU’s John Peterson holds the lead after an opening 68 (-2), one shot ahead of rounds of 69 (-1) from Phillip Choi (Florida), Bryden MacPherson (Georgia) and Robin Wingardh (Tennessee).

Conditions were fast and firm on the par 70, 6,991-yard Seaside Course, and the winds made scoring that much more difficult. Only seven players in the 60-man field were at par or better, and the weather forecast for Saturday’s round calls for much of the same – if not worse.

Tee times were to be announced later; it is expected that the Gamecocks will begin play at 8:50 a.m. on the No. 10 tee. Saturday’s pairings will be posted on golfstat.com, where fans can also follow live scoring. Updates are available throughout the round by following @GamecockMGolf on Twitter.

SEC MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP – FIRST ROUND
April 15, 2011 • St. Simons Island, Ga.
Sea Island Golf Club (Seaside) • Par 70, 6,991 Yards

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T8. Wesley Bryan – 71 (+1)
T21. Caulder Moore – 73 (+3)
T27. Dean Hester – 74 (+3)
T41. Blaine Woodruff – 76 (+6)
T41. Dykes Harbin – 76 (+6)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Florida – 285 (+5)
T2. Tennessee – 286 (+6)
T2. Arkansas – 286 (+6)
4. Alabama – 291 (+11)
T5. Auburn – 292 (+12)
T5. Georgia – 292 (+12)
T5. LSU – 292 (+12)
8. Kentucky – 293 (+13)
9. South Carolina – 294 (+14)
T10. Vanderbilt – 299 (+19)
T10. Mississippi State – 299 (+19)
12. Mississippi – 303 (+23)