Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Men’s golf 2 for 2 after winning tournament BY JONATHAN HILLYARD TIIK (lAMKCOCK Finishing with four individu als in the top 10, the USC men’s golf team annihilated the field at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate, de feating the nearest opponents by 27 strokes. The victory was the sec ond for the Gamecocks in as many outings. “I couldn’t be any more proud of a group of guys than I am right now,” USC head coach Puggy Blackmon said. “They’ve worked so hard, and to lead from start to finish against what will probably be one of the top fields in the na tion this year is great. I think this would have to be one of the great est victories in the history of the South Carolina program. We’re just elated right now.” USC posted a score 861, creat ing distance between Carolina and top-ranked Florida and Oklahoma State which scored 888 in the 54 hole tournament held af Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The course is a par 72, 6,995-yard course in which wind is a crucial factor. The tournament field included five of the top 10 teams in the country, but USC was the only team to break par for the tournament, shooting a four un der par 284 to put them at a final of three under for the tournament. Rounding out the top five of the tournament were Oklahoma State and Florida, while defending na tional champion Clemson and Texas tied at 889. “For us to be paired with the de fending national champion and the runner-up on the final day and continue to build our lead was just outstanding,” Blackmon said. “It’s a special win, and it will certain ly give us a lot of momentum as far as rankings and heading into the rest of the season.” The Gamecocks were led indi vidually by Stavanger, Norway’s sophomore sensation Eirik Johansen. Johansen posted a final round 67 to finish with a score of 214, good enough for second place in the individual ranks of the tour nament. Johansen put up an un conscious 31 on the front nine yes terday, and his 67 was tied for the low rouhd of the day. Right behind Johansen was ju nior Jake Thompson who tied with Clemson’s Gregg Jones at 215, placing them in a tie for third place. Juniors Martin Rominger and Alex Hamilton also placed in the top 10 with Rominger finish ing in a tie for fifth with 216 and Hamilton finishing in a tie for tenth with 219. Ending the com peting field for the Gamecocks was sophomore Robert Svensson who finished in a tie for 53rd with a score of 230. USC will now take a long break before returning to action on March 8 in Myrtle Beach at the Coastal Carolina Invitational. The tournament will be held at the TPC of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksportsCajgwm.sc.edu Baseball CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Carolina for first place in re cruiting class, voted by Collegiate Baseball. It’s Omaha or bust for a Gamecock squad that coaches have picked to win the SEC East, but you can ask Dave Odom and his squad how much a preseason poll counts. Carolina will be trying to make three straight trips in June to Nebraska, relying on the bats of catcher Landon Powell, in fielder Bryan Triplett and in fielder Kevin Melillo. The pitch ing squad will rest on the right arms of Aaron Rawl, Conor Lalor and southpaw Matt Campbell. Missed dearly will be All-SEC third baseman Brian Bruscher and SEC Pitcher of the Year David Marchbanks. Powell hopes to continue his success as a returning All-SEC catcher after hitting .339 last sea son with 61 runs-batted-in. Powell turned down a contract with the National League Central Champions Chicago Cubs to play his last season with Carolina. The Gamecocks will rely heav ily on incoming recruits, espe cially in pitching. After losing three starters to professional baseball, three newcomers look to make the starting rotation. Those are right-handers Billy Buckner, Jason Fletcher and Zac McCamie. The infield looks like last season with Triplett moving across the field from first to third. Sophomqre Trey McDaniel will take over fielding duties at first base, while second base is a lock with Mellilo coming off a .317 sophomore year battihg average. Shortstop duties are current ly filled by sophomore Steven Tolleson who batted just .255 in fall inter-squad games, but look for junior Steve Pearce from Indian River Community College to fight strong for some playing time as he hit .455 dur ing fall. The outfield will have a couple of familiar faces as returning starter Michael Campbell will play either center or left field. Sophomore Davy Gregg will start his first season this year at either center‘or left field. Gregg was used mainly as a pinch-runner last year and is probably the fastest player on the team this year. Junior college newcomer Brendan Winn from St. Petefsburg College is the leading » candidate for playing right field this year, batting .389 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in the fall. Options in the outfield include John Adams and Steven Reinhold. Senior Hank Parks will continue his duties as the designated hitter. The Gamecocks afre coming off a 45-22 season record that ended in a successful trip to the College World Series in Omaha. They will play Charleston Southern in their first games at home this weekend, after beating North Carolina 14-4 in the NCAA Super Regionals last June. USC will play 35 home games this season starting with cross-state rival Charleston Southern. First pitch will be at 3 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu Interested in taking Hie Gamecock Challenge? I If you can beat the editors, you'll win a fee Gamecock T-shirt. Send your picks to gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu by 2 p.m. Thursday. We’ll select ONE person’s picks, at random, to be our reader of the week. THIS WEEK’S GAMES: Nicholls State at S.E. Louisiana Tennessee at Alabama VMI at Coastal Carolina LSU at 22 Florida Florida Int’l at Arkansas-Little Rock 8 Kentucky at Georgia 6 Mississippi State at Arkansas Clemson at Florida State Auburn at Ole Miss Vanderbilt at 25 USC ♦ FOR TIE-BREAKING PURPOSES, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR SCORE FOR THE USC-OLE MISS GAME. AND DON’T FORGET YOUR NAME! > | vv.dailygamecock.com If/ online five days a week. 1 I 12 Silo Court, Columbia, SC 29201 — “ “■ I ' s60off 11 •Move-In Fees!I I } 803.779.5280 i ■■JBTftnTTISl * wIBi^S^mwliTTHi