Oct. 16, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – South Carolina put together a respectable round on a tough scoring day at the Mercedes-Benz Women’s Collegiate Championship, shooting a 302 (+14) to tie for fifth place through 18 holes of play. Only three teams broke 300 in the opening round at Fox Den Country Club.

For the second straight round, senior Corrine Carr led the way for the Gamecocks. She shot 73 (+1) on a day that saw lots of high numbers, giving her a tie for eighth place after 18 holes. Starting on the 10th hole, she bogeyed her first two before a birdie at the tricky par-3 13th. But she would make two more bogeys to make the turn at 3-over. However, a bogey-free front nine that included birdies at the fifth and seventh holes got her back to 1-over, one of six individuals at that number through 18 holes.

Sophomore Katie Burnett had an up-and-down day but finished with a 75 (+3) to tie for 23rd through one round. A relatively benign first nine included two bogeys and a birdie at No. 15 to make the turn at 1-over. But Burnett would not make a single par on her second nine, mixing four birdies with four bogeys and a double-bogey to finish at 2-over on the back, 3-over on the day.

Benedicte Toumpsin, Carolina’s low individual at last year’s Mercedes-Benz, shot 76 (+4) on Friday to tie for 31st place. Freshman Meredith Swanson is tied for 54th with a 78 (+6) and fellow freshman Amanda Strang shot 79 (+7) to tie for 63rd.

Tournament host Tennessee jumped out to a big early lead as the only team under par through 18 holes, shooting 283 (-5) to open a 13-stroke lead over Kent State and Louisville, both at 8-over. Chattanooga is fourth at 12-over, two shots ahead of the Gamecocks.

The Lady Vols find themselves atop the individual leaderboard as well. Diana Cantu leads the way with an opening round 69 (-3). Teammate Ginny Brown is one shot behind Cantu at 2-under. Three players are tied for third place at 1-under.

The Gamecocks will be paired with Chattanooga and NC State for Saturday’s second round with their tee times set to begin at 9:45 a.m. on hole No. 1. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T8. Corrine Carr – 73 (+1)
T23. Katie Burnett – 75 (+3)
T31. Benedicte Toumpsin – 76 (+4)
T54. Meredith Swanson – 78 (+6)
T63. Amanda Strang – 79 (+7)