April 6, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga. – No. 10 South Carolina blasted up six positions in one round to finish fourth in the rain-shortened Administaff Augusta State Invitational today at Champions Retreat Golf Club. The Gamecocks followed Friday’s 296, which had them in a tie for 10th place, with a 277 on Sunday to finish at 573 (-3) and collect their fourth-straight top-four finish of the spring. Senior Mark Anderson picked up his third top-10 finish of the spring season with a share of sixth place.

Anderson finished the tournament with a two-round score of 140 (-4) after carding a 69 (-3) on Sunday. He was steady in Friday’s first round, turning in three birdies in a four-hole span on the back nine to finish at 71. In his second round, which began Saturday morning before play was suspended for the day, Anderson made his move late in each stretch of nine holes. After starting on the 10th tee, he picked up birdies on No. 17 and 18 to make the turn at -1 then shaved two more strokes off his round with birdies on No. 8 and 9.

Junior Mark Silvers III picked up his first top-10 finish of the season with a tournament total of 142 (-2). He shot 76 (+4) on Friday then shaved 10 strokes off the round to turn in a 66 (-6) on Sunday. After opening with a bogey on No. 10, Silvers put together birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17 to get back to -2. After four pars, he birdied four of the last six holes to match his career-best round and move into 10th place.

Dropping five strokes from one round to the next, sophomore George Bryan IV moved into a tie for 27th place at 145 (+1). He followed his first-round 75 (+3), which featured four birdies that were muted by a pair of triple bogeys, with a 70 (-2) the second time around the course. A birdie on the par-4 10th got his round off to a good start, and he continued his trend of making up ground on the par 5s with a pair of birdies and two pars on those four holes. A birdie on the par-4 seventh hole brought him back to -2 for the round.

Sophomore Patrick Rada took a share of 37th place after turning in a 146 (+2) for the event. He evened out his up and down round of 74 (+2) on Friday to score 72 (E) Sunday. Junior Patrick Cunning turned in matching rounds of 77 to score 154 (+10) and finish in 82nd place.

Holding a two-shot lead after the first round, No. 6 UCLA scorched the course in round two to roll to a 16-stroke lead over No. 2 Georgia. The Bruins turned in rounds of 284 (-4) and 268 (-20) to finish at 552. Three Bruins finished in the tournament’s top five with Lucas Lee claiming a two-stroke win over East Tennessee State’s Gareth Shaw with rounds of 69 (-3) and 65 (-7).

South Carolina is back in action beginning on April 18 at the Southeastern Conference Championship in Sea Island, Ga.