April 2, 2005

Browns Summit, N.C. – Through two days of golf at the Bryan National Collegiate Tournament played at the Champions Course at Bryan Park in Browns Summit, N.C., the South Carolina women’s golf team stands in 15th place with a score of 310-321=631.

High winds wreaked havoc on the field Saturday, as only two of the 17 teams competing turned in a better score Saturday than they did on Friday. The Gamecocks were among the majority of teams that struggled in the conditions. However, a pair of Carolina freshmen improved their scores despite the weather.

Playing as an individual in the field, Aiken native Whitney Simons fired a one-over-par 73 and is in the top-10 on the leader board in a field packed with the nation’s top talent. Simons, who is tied for ninth with a 74-73=147, is just six strokes off the lead in a tournament that boasts four of the top six teams in the nation. After suffering a bogey on her first hole of the day, Simons played par golf the rest of the way, canceling out her only other bogey with a birdie on the par-three 12th hole.

Freshman Caroline Rominger shaved two strokes off her first-round score, carding a six-over-par 78 on Saturday. Her total score of 80-78=158 is good for a tie for 54th on the individual leader.

Of the players whose scores count toward the South Carolina total, senior Tiffany Catafygiotu leads the way, shooting a 75-80=155. The Greer native is in a tie for 40th overall. Junior Erica Battle and sophomore Jenna Pearson are tied for 62nd, as Battle heads into the final round with a 76-84=160 and Pearson a 79-81=160.

Freshman Laura Raffo rounds out the Gamecock effort with an 83-82=165. She is in a tie for 76th heading into Sunday’s final round.

Team Leader Board        To Par  Thru    Rd. 1   Rd. 2   Total1   Duke    +1  F   284     293     5772   Tennessee   +8  F   291     293     5843   Georgia     +13     F   284     305     5894   Florida     +19     F   290     305     5955   Tulane University   +20     F   293     303     5966   Auburn  +25     F   301     300     6017   Furman University   +26     F   293     309     6028   North Carolina State    +35     F   296     315     611T9  University of Virginia  +39     F   304     311     615T9  Oklahoma State  +39     F   306     309     61511  Vanderbilt  +43     F   306     313     619T12     Purdue  +49     F   315     310     625T12     North Carolina, U of    +49     F   307     318     62514  Wake Forest     +52     F   303     325     62815  South Carolina  +55     F   310     321     63116  N. Car.- Greensboro     +61     F   315     322     63717  Louisville, Univ. of    +77     F   317     336     653
Gamecocks On The Individual Leader BoardT9  Whitney Simons * +3  F   74  73  147T54 Caroline Rominger +14 F   80  78  158T40 Tiffany Catafygiotu +11 F   75  80  155T62 Erica Battle   +16 F   76  84  160T62 Jenna Pearson +16 F   79  81  160T76 Laura Raffo +21 F   83  82  165
*Playing as an individual (score does not count toward Carolina total)