Aug. 8, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Three USC men’s golfers qualified for the 107th U.S. Amateur, to be held Aug. 20-26 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif.

Senior Warren Thomas and juniors Mark Silvers and Baker Elmore qualified for the tournament for the first time in their respective careers. The U.S. Amateur is the oldest of the 13 Championships conducted by the United States Golf Association.

Thomas (Columbia, S.C.), a 2007 Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar, enjoyed a solid year for the Gamecocks, finishing 57th individually to help lead the Carolina to an 11th place finish at the NCAA Championships. He recently won the South Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship in June.

Silvers (Savannah, Ga.) paced Carolina at the NCAA Championship, carding a four-day total of one-over-par 281 to finish tied for 22nd place. He finished the season with the team’s lowest stroke average (72.46) and tied for the team’s low round score (66), set in the second round of the NCAA Championship.

Elmore (Cheraw, S.C.) competed in four tournaments for the Gamecocks. He shot a 215 (-1) and finished tied for fourth at the Schenkel E-Z Go Invitational to record the first top-five finish of his career.