March 5, 2005

Gainesville, Fla. – – Through two days at the Sun Trust Lady Gator Invitational played at the University of Florida Golf Course, the South Carolina women’s golf team sits in ninth place out of 18 teams with a 309-310=619. As a team, the Gamecocks are 18 strokes off the lead.

Irmo native Erica Battle is in a tie for seventh place on the individual leaderboard with a two-round score of 149 after shooting a 74 on Saturday. Battle, who shaved a stroke off her first-round effort is only four strokes behind the tournament’s leader, Myrte Eikenaar of Purdue.

Freshman Caroline Rominger fired a nine-over-par 79 Saturday to move her score to 77-79=156 and put herself in a tie for 43rd on the individual leaderboard.

Sophomore Jenna Pearson got out to a slow start Saturday and found herself five-over through the first five holes. Though she birdied the par-four ninth hole and the par-three 11th hole, Pearson finished the day with a 10-over-par 80 and sits in a tie for 47th on the individual leaderboard with a 77-80=157.

Showing the biggest improvement from the first round to the second round was the combination of freshman Whitney Simons and senior Tiffany Catafygiotu, who fired a seven-over-par 77 and a 10-over-par 80, respectively. Simons, who shot a 10-over-par 80 in Friday’s first round, shaved three strokes off on Saturday, bolstered by a strong start and a strong finish. The freshman from Aiken was one-under par through the first four holes and had only one bogey on the last five holes. Catafygiotu cut two strokes off her first round effort.

Final round action resumes Sunday.

Results Through Two DaysT7th    Erica Battle   75-74=149 (+9)T43rd   Caroline Rominger 77-79=156 (+16)T47th   Jenna Pearson 77-80=157 (+17)T47th   Whitney Simons   80-77=157 (+17)T75th   Tiffany Catafygiotu 82-80=162 (+22)