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March 17, 2002

BLYTHEWOOD, SC –
The South Carolina women’s golf team posted its second-straight score of 300 Sunday and finished in third place at its own Lady Gamecock Classic at the University Club. Carolina’s 895 three-day score was its best since the tournament moved to the University Club in 1996, but still was 21 strokes back of No. 3 Duke, who posted a 298 Sunday and finished with a tournament-record, 10-over-par 874 to capture its’ fifth-straight Lady Gamecock Classic title and sixth in seven years at the University Club.

South Carolina junior All-American Kristy McPherson came back from two strokes down entering play Sunday and had a one-over 73 to forge a tie for medallist honors with Duke’s Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh at one-over 215 for the tournament. The two players went back to the par 5, 441-yard No. 18 hole and Aazam-Zanganeh won the playoff with a par. McPherson’s second shot on the playoff clipped the mound splitting the fairway, and after playing a chip to about 100 yards away, hit her fourth shot behind the green and picked up her ball after chipping to about 20 feet of the hole in five. McPherson was coming off medallist honors at the Spartan Invitational 10 days ago with this being her third first-place finish of the season.

Duke (874) was followed by No. 8 Texas, who had a the best team score of the day (295) and finished with a three-day 886 total. Thirty-third-ranked South Carolina – which finished ahead of eight teams ranked ahead of the Lady Gamecocks in the latest Sagarin/Golfweek national rankings – was third at 895 with No. 25 New Mexico (902) and No. 10 Vanderbilt (907) rounding out the top five. The 895 by South Carolina was its best team score of the season.

McPherson led a pair of Lady Gamecocks who finished in the top 10 of the tournament. Sophomore Adrienne Gautreaux had a 76 Sunday and finished in a tie for eighth place at 222 for her second best finish and score of the season. Senior Reetta Laakkonen had a 74 (she also had a 73 Friday for her top two rounds of the season) and finished tied for 24th at 226, while sophomore Marci Robinson (80-235, 43rd place) and junior Kacy Thompson (77-239, 51st) rounded out Carolina’s players counting to the team score. Sophomore Kory Thompson (76-239, 51st) and freshman Tiffany Catafygiotu (82-246, 69th) competed for individual honors only.

Aazam-Zanganeh and McPherson led the tournament’s individual competition and were followed by Duke’s Virada Nirapathpongporn (74-216) North Carolina’s Ashley Prange (73-219), Tennessee’s Young-A Yang (74-220) and Duke’s Leigh Anne Hardin (76-220) to round out the top five.

South Carolina next competes at the Liz Muphey Collegiate, Mar. 22-24 in Athens, Ga.

   3   South Carolina, U of     295  300  300    895

2 Kristy McPherson 72 70 73 215

T 8 Adrienne Gautreaux 71 75 76 222

T 24 Reetta Laakkonen 73 79 74 226

T 43 Marci Robinson 79 76 80 235

T 51 Kacy Thompson 82 80 77 239

T 51 Kory Thompson 83 80 76 239

69 Tiffany Catafygiotu 80 84 82 246