Feb. 19, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 16th-ranked South Carolina men’s golf team shot a 295 Sunday and finished tied for eighth place in the 14-team Sun Trust Gator Invitational, played at the University of Florida Golf Course (Par 70, 6,701 Yards) in Gainesville, Fla.

Senior Eirik Johansen turned in the Gamecocks’ best individual effort of the event, finishing in a tie for 11th. The USC captain shot 74 (+4) on the final 18 holes. Johansen owns five top-20 finishes in six starts this season.

Freshmen Allen Koon and Florian Fritsch led South Carolina in the final round as both posted two-over-par 72s to wrap up the tournament. Koon’s final round performance pushed him into the top 25 for the second straight tournament as finished tied for 25th with a total score of 221. Fritsch closed the tournament with a total score of 225, good for a 37th-place finish.

Sophomore Mark Anderson fired a 77 (+7) on Sunday and wound up tied for 60th, while freshman Mark Silvers carded a 78 (+8) and finished tied for 56th.

Tournament-host Florida won the event for the second straight season and the 20th time in 29 tries. The Gators finished with a team total of 855, six strokes ahead of second-place Tulsa (861). TU’s Sam Korbe edged the Gators’ Brett Stegmaier in a playoff to claim medalist honors.

South Carolina will be idle until March 18 and 19 when it competes in the Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga.

South Carolina IndividualsT 11 Erik Johansen      68-74-74=216T 25 Allen Koon         73-76-72=221T 37 Florian Fritsch       74-79-72=225T 56 Mark Silvers         73-79-78=230T 60 Mark Anderson       73-81-77=231South Carolina Total        287-308-295=890
Team StandingsPlace   Team    Score   Par1.  Florida 274-288-293 = 855   +152.  Tulsa   287-286-288 = 861   +213.  Florida State   291-286-292 = 869   +294.  Georgia State   285-293-297 = 875   +355.  LSU 297-291-293 = 881   +416.  Wake Forest 297-294-296 = 887   +477.  UAB 292-298-298 = 888   +48T8. South Carolina  287-308-295 = 890   +50T8. UCF 302-294-294 = 890   +50T8. Purdue  301-294-295 = 890   +5011. North Florida   301-298-293 = 892   +5212. Georgia Southern    289-311-295 = 895   +5513. Ohio State  289-307-303 = 899   +5914. Kentucky    301-307-297 = 905   +65