No. 10 Gamecocks Head to 2019 SEC Championships

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 10 South Carolina women’s golf, fresh off a victory at the 2019 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, opens postseason play this week at the 2019 SEC Championship at Greystone Country Club. The five-day event takes place April 17-21 and features three rounds of stroke play before the field is cut to an eight-team match-play bracket.
 
“We are excited about heading into the postseason,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson said. “Greystone Legends is a golf course that fits our game very well, and we are coming off good momentum after our win at UGA. The SEC is very strong and deep this year. I know this team is eager to redeem themselves after last year’s heartbreaking runner-up finish. We just need to remain very patient this week and take one step at a time; it’s a marathon, not a sprint with the stroke and match-play format. The team as a whole is playing confidently, and we are looking forward to a fun week of competition.”
 
Last season, the Gamecocks finished as the runner-up, falling to Arkansas in the championship match. Carolina has boasted top-five finishes in each of the last six years at the SEC Championship, including runner-up finishes in 2014, 2015 and 2018. The Gamecocks’ lone SEC title came in 2002, and under head coach Kalen Anderson the team has placed inside the top five eight times.
 
A Gamecock individual has won the SEC Championship each of the past two seasons. Katelyn Dambaugh captured the title in 2017 while Ainhoa Olarra took the title in 2018.
 
No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Arkansas, No. 9 Florida and No. 10 South Carolina mark the four top-10 schools in the field, while No. 14 Auburn and No. 22 Alabama round out the list of top-25 teams. Tee times for the opening round have the Gamecocks matched up with No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 6 Arkansas, teeing off from hole No. 1. Tee times can be seen below: 

9:40 a.m. – Anita Uwadia
9:50 a.m. – Lois Kaye Go
10 a.m. – Marion Veysseyre
10:10 a.m. – Ana Pelaez
10:20 a.m. – Emily Price
 
Individually, there are four participants in Golfstat’s top-25 rankings who will be competing at the SEC Championship, including South Carolina’s Emily Price (No. 9) and Lois Kaye Go (No. 24).
 
Last time out, the Gamecocks took the title at the 2019 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic. The event is the first match-play event victory in program history. Anita Uwadia finished undefeated in three matches, including a head-to-head victory over No. 89 Harmie Constantino of Georgia. The prior best finish at a match-play event was the 2018 SEC Championship, where the Gamecocks finished as the runner-up to Arkansas.
 
Following the SEC Championships, the Gamecocks resume postseason play next month at the NCAA Regionals, set for May 6-8. This year’s regional sites are hosted by Washington, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Auburn. The Gamecocks will learn their regional fate during the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Selection Show, which will air on Golf Channel on Wed., April 24, at 5:30 p.m. ET.