April 27, 2003

For Immediate Release Contact: Julie Long April 27, 2003

South Carolina Earns Fifth Place Finish at SEC Championship

St. Simons, Ga. – Two Gamecocks finished in the top 10 to lead the University of South Carolina men’s golf team to a fifth place finish at the 2003 Southeastern Conference Championships. The par-70 Seaside Course at the Sea Island Golf Club was host to the three-day tournament.

Florida claimed the team title with a three-round score of 856. Auburn was six strokes back in second place, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs with 866.

Redshirt freshman West Streib and freshman Eirik Johansen both posted top 10 finishes in their first SEC Championship. After firing two-under par during Saturday’s round, Streib shot 72 on Sunday for a three-day total of 216. His eighth place finish was the highest Gamecock finish of the tournament. Johansen tied for 10th place with a three-day total of 217 (70-73-74).

Finishing third for the Gamecocks was sophomore Alex Hamilton. The Aiken, S.C,. native posted a three-day total of 223 to tie for 27th. After shooting two consecutive rounds of 74, Nash Elliot shot 76 in the final round to place 34th. Martin Rominger stuggled in the first two rounds of action before shooting 72 during Sunday’s competition. His low round score of 72 tied teammate Streib for the Gamecocks’ low score of the day. Rominger concluded the tournament in a tie for 43rd.

“Through the first 12 holes we were playing solid,” commented Head Coach Puggy Blackmon. “We lost a few shots towards the end, but overall we had a solid tournament. We solidified a berth to the NCAA Regionals.”

Florida Brett Stegmaier won the individual medalist title with a seven-under-par score of 203.

South Carolina returns to action May 15-17 for the NCAA Regionals, with the location to be determined.

Gamecock FinishesT8 West Streib           76-68-72=216T10 Eirik Johansen       70-73-74=217T27 Alex Hamilton        78-70-74=223T34 Nash Elliot          74-74-76=224T43 Martin Rominger      80-76-72=238
Team Finishes1.  Florida          292-293-271=8562.  Auburn           291-293-278=8623.  Georgia          288-289-289=8664.  Tennessee        289-288-293=8705.  South Carolina   298-285-292=8756.  Alabama          293-292-294=8797.  Arkansas         299-291-291=8818.  Ole Miss         304-290-296=8909.  Kentucky         303-307-289=89910. Vanderbilt       302-310-290=90211. Mississippi State 313-303-298=91412.     LSU              315-309-293=917