Oct. 19, 2003

The 24th-ranked South Carolina women’s golf team shot a 16-over-par 304 Sunday in the first round of the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee, to finish 10th after 18 holes of golf. The Gamecocks are only 13 strokes off the pace of co-leaders, the Swedish Junior National Team and Oklahoma State, who both posted 291 team scores.

Team captain Adrienne Gautreaux is tied for second place after the event’s first round as the Texas-native shot a one-under-par 71 on the day. All five golfers bunched up in second place are only one shot off the pace of leader Pernilla Lindberg of the Swedish Junior National Team (-2, 70). Sunday’s 71 score was Gautreaux’s second under-par round of the young season.

Playing in her first collegiate tournament, freshman Jenna Pearson shot a five-over-par 76 Sunday to tie for 34th place. Junior Tiffany Catafygiotu fired a 78 to finish tied with five golfers for 52nd place, including USC’s Erica Battle who is competing as an individual this week. Teammate Laura McCaslin is 58th after an opening round 79 while senior Marci Robinson is 77th with a first round 82.

The Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship is a 6,021-yard, par 72 tournament that runs Sunday through Tuesday, October 19-21st. The 52-hole tournament is played at Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee.

South Carolina begins round two Monday with the first Gamecock teeing off at 9:50 a.m.

TEAM SCORES
Rank Team Scores
T1 Swedish Jr. National Team 291 +3
Oklahoma State 291 +3
T3 Ohio State 296 +8
Tulane University 296 +8
5 Georgia 299 +11
6 Tennessee 300 +12
T7 LSU 301 +13
Michigan State 301 +13
9 UNLV 303 +15
10 South Carolina 304 +16

GAMECOCK INDIVIDUAL SCORES
Rank Individual Scores
T2 Adrienne Gautreaux 71
T34 Jenna Pearson 76
T52 Tiffany Catafygiotu 78
T58 Laura McCaslin 79
T77 Marci Robinson 82