Women's Golf Looks to Carry Momentum into Postseason

The South Carolina women’s golf team has had an incredible regular season, taking first place in four of the six tournaments played, which consisted of anywhere between 14 and 18 teams, and finishing third in each of the other two. It’s been three weeks since their last regular season tournament, and as they prepare for the postseason with the SEC Championships beginning on Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala., the Gamecocks hope to pick up where they left off.

Pauline  Roussin-Bouchard

“When I talk to (Athletics Director) Coach (Ray) Tanner every year, I tell him I’m here to win championships and to build a national championship caliber team,” said head coach Kalen Anderson. “You have to have a little bit of luck on your side, too. And then because it’s a COVID year, we had the opportunity to bring several players back for another year, I realized the depth of our team was going to be pretty significant.”

The depth of talent for the eight women on the roster includes sophomore sensation Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, who already ranks second in the school record books with four tournament wins, including three this year, and was a First Team All-American last year; fifth-year senior and two-time All-American Ana Pelaez, who has four top-five finishes this year and a team-leading 70.33 stroke average; fifth-year senior Lois Kaye Go, who has three top-10 finishes and is a three-time All-American; fifth-year senior and three-time All-American Pimnipa Panthong, who has a pair of top five finishes; and freshman Paula Kirner, who has three top-20 finishes this year.

“Pauline is a huge boost in our lineup. She’s one of the best in the world,” Anderson said. “Ana has come back as a spark. Her game has matured more than ever before. We have the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked collegiate players in the country with Pauline and Ana. They’re a tough duo, and then you have the experience of L.K. (Lois Kaye Go) and the depth of our lineup that is so significant.

“It’s a competitive atmosphere, and we have a lot of maturity on this team. We have starters that have understood that they may not play in a certain week. They understand that if they’ve been taken out of the lineup, they’re going to get back in. They’re a true team and a true family.”

With eight student-athletes coming from seven different countries, the Gamecocks have created a competitive, but close family atmosphere.

“Our team mentality is very good. We support each other at every moment.”
– Paula Kirner

“We are from all around the world, but we’re here by ourselves,” said Pelaez. “We’re basically the only family we have here. It’s not a team, but a family. We try to push each other to be the best. We get very competitive, but at the end of the day, we’re family and we love each other very, very much.”

“We’re very devoted to what we do. Every time we go out there, we want to be the best team in the country and win the tournament. We want to do our jobs for the team,” Roussin-Bouchard said. “We are a big family. We get along with each other. Kalen and (assistant coach) Kevin (Williams) are two awesome people. We couldn’t ask for better coaches. We are eight players, who are individuals from all over the world, but we are like one. We live with each other. We laugh with each other. We’re happy for each other when one of us wins, and we’re very supportive.”

Ana Pelaez

“We work together as a team pretty well, but everyone works really hard as an individual as well to get better,” Kirner said. “We analyze a lot of statistics. We have a lot of resources provided for us here to get better. Our team mentality is very good. We support each other at every moment. It’s a pretty amazing team. We live together and pretty much do everything together. They’re my best friends here. I know I can trust them when we’re on the course and when we’re off the course. We just work well together.”

“We’re very close,” Panthong said.  “I really enjoy being around them. We push each other a lot.”

With a target on their back as one of the teams to beat, the Gamecocks look to stay locked in with a good mindset.

“My mindset is knowing that we’ve all worked very hard, and our practices have been excellent,” Pelaez said. “We just have to enjoy the game and enjoy every competition. We have to live the moment and not worry about the things we cannot control and do our best.”

“I try to tell myself it’s just another tournament,” Panthong said. “I just try to do my best and we’ll see how it goes.”

Anything can happen in the postseason, but Anderson knows the team she’s assembled and is excited to see what the Gamecocks can put together in the postseason.

“This is a great group, on and off the golf course,” Anderson said. “They’re extremely motivated. It’s an unbelievable culture that we have. If I were going to have confidence in any group that I’ve had, it would be this one. You need to have a little luck fall your way and catch some breaks, but I feel very confident in this group.

“They’re one of the most motivated and best cultures I’ve been around. They’ve handled everything very well. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices during COVID in having to stick to their family and their bubble. They’re a tight knit group, and they’ve had to keep their social group tight in order to stay safe. I’ve very proud of all the sacrifices they’ve made. It’s a very special team and a very special family atmosphere.”