June 1, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina rising sophomores Katie Rose Higgins and Suzie Lee have qualified for next month’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship after both finished as medalists in their respective sectional qualifiers in the last week.

Lee, a native of East Northport, N.Y., was the medalist at the Lorton, Va., qualifier last Tuesday with an 18-hole score of 73, taking medalist honors by three strokes. It was the second straight year for Lee to medal at the qualifier at Laurel Hills Golf Club; last year she shot a 71 to advance to the USWAPL.

Higgins was the co-medalist at the Greenville, N.C., qualifier that was held Tuesday at Ironwood Country Club. She posted a score of even-par 72 to tie Allison Lee for the top spot, earning her first trip to the Women’s PubLinks championship.

The Gamecock duo will head to Bandon, Ore., for the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship – which, for the first time, will take place at the same venue as the men’s Public Links event. The two tournaments run June 27-July 2 at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

The U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship is open to women amateur golfers who, since Jan. 1, 2011, have been bona fide public course players and have not held privileges at any course that does not extend playing privileges to the general public, or privileges of any private club maintaining its own course and have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 18.4. A “bona fide public course player” may hold incidental privileges of a course not open to the public when such privileges are provided by an educational institution at which she is a student.