April 18, 2008

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – With a pair of players in the top 10, No. 10 South Carolina sits in sixth place after the first round of the SEC Men’s Golf Championship at Frederica Golf Club. Senior Warren Thomas and sophomore George Bryan IV are tied for eighth after shooting 72 (E) as the Gamecocks posted a 294 on the day to sit nine strokes behind first-round leader Alabama.

The first Gamecock in the clubhouse, Thomas kicked off his round with a birdie on the first hole and made the turn at one over. An eagle on the par-4 13th got him back under par, and he carded a birdie on the par-5 15th to get to two under with three holes to play. Thomas battled for bogey on Nos. 16 and 17, both par 4s, before closing with a par on No. 18.

Bryan also made the turn at one over after a pair of birdies were offset by three bogeys on the front nine. The sophomore standout was solid on the back nine and used a birdie on No. 16 to get back to even for the round.

Junior Mark Silvers III and sophomore Patrick Rada shot 75 (+3) to sit in a tie for 30th place. Silvers’ round got off to a difficult start as he carded bogeys on three of the first five holes. Back-to-back birdies got him back on track before a bogey on the par-4 ninth hole had him at two over at the turn. He was more consistent with pars on the back nine, adding a birdie on No. 12 to his final total. Rada similarly battled on the front nine, sitting at three over at the turn. He, too, birdied the par-4 12th then recorded an eagle on the par-5 15th to get back to even. In the first postseason event of his career, Rada turned in bogey on each of the last three holes to slip back to three over for the round.

Senior Mark Anderson had the most difficult day for the Gamecocks, finishing at 77 (+5) after mixing three birdies in with three double-bogeys over the back nine. He is in 44th place heading into Saturday’s second round.

The Crimson Tide shot 285 in the first round, placing three players in the top 10, to hold a five-stroke lead on Georgia and Florida. Alabama’s Joseph Sykora leads the individual race after carding a 68 (-4), capped by an eagle on the par-5 18th. He has a two-shot lead over teammate Michael Thompson and Mississippi’s Jesse Speirs.

The tournament continues on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The Gamecocks will play the second of the event’s three rounds with LSU and Mississippi State. The group’s tee times begin at 9:40 a.m.