Sept. 26, 2005

Albuquerque, N.M. – Through Monday’s first-round play at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Intercollegiate played at the University of New Mexico’s Champions Course, the South Carolina women’s golf team is tied for ninth place out of 18 teams with an eight-over-par 300.

Senior Laura McCaslin leads the way for Carolina, sitting in a tie for 11th on the individual leader board with a one-under-par 72. Starting her day on the course’s 10th hole, McCaslin’s day was highlighted by an eagle on the course’s par-five 18th hole, marking the first eagle of her Gamecock career. McCaslin added a birdie on the course’s par-three 17th hole and back-to-back birdies on the par-4 third and fourth holes, respectively.

Also starting on the course’s 10th hole, junior Jenna Pearson turned in a solid performance, carding a one-over 74. Tied for 25th on the individual leader board, Pearson was steady from the start, achieving par on the first seven holes. A bogey on the course’s 17th hole followed by birdies on the 18th and the first put Pearson at one-under through 10 holes, but a trio of bogeys pushed her total to two-over heading into the final hole, which she birdied to finish her day at one-over.

Playing as an individual with her score not counting toward the team’s total, sophomore Whitney Simons is tied for 33rd with a two-over 75. Simons’ day got off to a rocky start with a double-bogey on the course’s 10th hole, but she was able to rebound with a pair of birdies on the course’s 12th and 18th holes, respectively to counter off a bogey on the 14th. Simons was one-over heading toward the back nine, and a birdie on the course’s third hole brought her to even par. However, another double-bogey on four, followed by bogeys on five and six put her at four-over before birdies on the seventh and eighth holes brought her back to two-over, where she finished the day.

Senior Erica Battle and sophomore Camila Mori are tied for 50th with a four-over-par 77. Battle was victimized by a pair of double-bogeys on the course’s 12th and 15th holes, respectively, but regrouped to shoot even par for the remaining 12 holes, highlighted by birdies on the course’s 16th, 18th and seventh holes. Making her Carolina debut, Mori was relatively consistent, sitting at one-over-par through her first seven holes. She double-bogeyed the course’s 17th hole and had two more bogeys before firing a birdie on the course’s seventh hole.

Sophomore Blythe Worley rounded things out for the Gamecocks with a seven-over-par 80. An even-par showing on the back nine, highlighted by a birdie on the course’s fifth hole, was not enough to counter off a shaky start that saw Worley bogey five of the first nine holes and double-bogey another.

Day two action resumes tomorrow.

Team Leader Board1   Ohio State  -5  F   287     287T2  USC     +1  F   293     293T2  UNLV    +1  F   293     2934   Texas A&M University    +2  F   294     2945   Pepperdine  +4  F   296     296T6  Cal Berkeley    +5  F   297     297T6  New Mexico  +5  F   297     2978   San Diego State Univ    +6  F   298     298T9  New Mexico State    +8  F   300     300T9  South Carolina  +8  F   300     30011  Baylor  +9  F   301     301T12     Brigham Young Univ.     +10     F   302     302T12     Colorado State Univ.    +10     F   302     30214  TCU     +12     F   304     30415  Tulsa   +13     F   305     30516  Texas El Paso, U. of    +17     F   309     30917  Texas Tech Univ     +22     F   314     31418  Hawaii, Univ. of    +36     F   328     328
Gamecocks On The Individual Leader Board11  Laura McCaslin    -1  72  7225  Jenna Pearson  +1  74  7433  Whitney Simons    +2  75  75T50 Erica Battle    +4  77  77T50 Camila Mori  +4  77  77T80 Blythe Worley  +7  80  80