April 16, 2005

Tunica, Miss. – – The South Carolina women’s golf team enjoyed a second-round surge at the 2005 Southeastern Conference Championships played at Tunica National Golf Course, shaving 12 strokes off their first-round team score to move up to seventh place with a 313-301=614.

Leading the way once again for the Gamecocks was freshman Whitney Simons, whose second-round 73 moved her into the top-10 in the field with a 76-73=149. Simons will enter Sunday’s final round only four strokes behind tournament leader Nicole Hage of Auburn, who owns a 69-76=145. Simons started her day Saturday with a birdie on the course’s 10th hole and found herself three under after firing birdies on the course’s 14th and 15th holes. Simons battled for the rest of the day to finish at one-over.

Junior Jenna Pearson was also solid for Carolina and is tied for 16th on the individual leader board with a two-day score of 78-74=152. After starting her day with two bogeys in her first four holes, Pearson re-grouped to shoot par the rest of the way, highlighted by a pair of birdies on the course’s par-three fourth hole and par-five 14th hole.

Freshman Caroline Rominger cut three strokes off her score from the first round on Saturday and is tied for 23rd on the individual leader board with a score of 79-76=155. Rominger was steady through her first 10 holes and was only one-over at the time. However, she suffered through a double-bogey on the course’s par-five third hole. She bounced back to rattle off a string of four straight holes at par before finishing her day with a bogey five on the course’s ninth hole.

Junior Erica Battle shaved off two strokes from the previous day and is tied for 36th on the leader board with an 80-78=158, with senior Tiffany Catafyiotu rounding things out for the Gamecocks sitting in a tie for 51st with a score of 80-83=163.

Final round action will be played tomorrow.

Team Leader Board1. Auburn   +17 F   291-302=5932  LSU  +20 F   303-293=596T3. Georgia +27 F   301-302=603T3. Tennessee   +27 F   299-304=6035. Arkansas +34 F   301-309=6106. Florida  +35 F   304-307=6117. South Carolina   +38 F   313-301=6148. Alabama  +43 F   303-316=619T9. Kentucky    +48 F   310-314=624T9. Vanderbilt  +48 F   308-316=62411. Mississippi State   +66 F   330-312=64212. Mississippi +73 F   321-328=649
Gamecocks on the Individual Leader BoardT9. Whitney Simons   +5  F   76-73=149T16. Jenna Pearson    +8  F   78-74=152T23. Caroline Rominger    +11 F   79-76=155T36. Erica Battle  +14 F   80-78=158T51. Tiffany Catafygiotu    +19 F   80-83=163