April 16, 2003

The 16th-ranked South Carolina women’s golf team will defend its 2002 SEC Team Championship this weekend at the 2003 SEC Tournament to be held in Lexington, Kentucky.

This is the second time that the SEC Championships have been held in Lexington but the first outing at Kentucky’s University Club course which opened in 2002. South Carolina enters its 12th SEC Championship after joining the conference in 1992.

First-round play starts on Friday morning with South Carolina teeing off in the last grouping at 11:30 along with Tennessee and Auburn. Each team is comprised of five golfers with the best four scores counting each day towards the team’s total score.

The Gamecocks will be represented by seniors Kristy McPherson and Kacy Thompson, juniors Adrienne Gautreaux and Marci Robinson and sophomore Tiffany Catafygiotu.

Two-time All-American Kristy McPherson already owns two back-to-back SEC titles and will look to become only the third woman in NCAA history to record three consecutive conference titles. The senior from Conway, SC is ranked 10th in the country (Golfweek) and leads the Gamecocks with a stroke average of 73.43, the lowest of her career.

Last year, McPherson became only the second SEC women’s golfer ever to capture back-to-back titles. Golf fans have been accustomed to seeing her name at the top of the board as McPherson has been the Championship’s only leader over the last 108 holes. McPherson also holds the conference record (men and women) for having six consecutive rounds at or below par.

Results from each day’s competition will be posted on the South Carolina website (www.uscsports.com). Fans can also follow the SEC Championship by watching the live hole-by-hole coverage on www.golfstat.com.