March 29, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. – South Carolina women’s golf will enter Sunday’s final round of the Bryan Park National Collegiate in 17th place after all five players battled the Bryan Park Players Course on Saturday. The Gamecocks shot 338 (+50) in the second round to sit six strokes behind UNC Wilmington in 16th position. Sophomore Bénédicte Toumpsin is the highest placed Gamecock in 51st place after shooting 79 (+7) in each of the first two rounds.

Starting on No. 16, Toumpsin’s second round got off to a difficult start with two bogeys and a double-bogey on her first three holes. She scratched out a birdie on the par-5 second, but she recorded bogeys on five of the next seven holes. A birdie on the par-5 15th, her final hole of the day, got her back to seven over for the round.

The Gamecocks’ first-round leader Whitney Simons, who shot 75 (+3) on Friday, could not find her rhythm Saturday and carded an 89 (+17) to fall back to 71st. Senior Blythe Worley sits in 76th place after shooting 83 (+11) on Saturday, and freshman Erika Holmen added an 87 (+15) to Friday’s 85 (+13) to hold a share of 86th position. Junior Meredith Taylor carded a second-round 90 (+18) and is in 92nd place.

No. 1 Duke remains atop the leaderboard, holding a one-stroke lead over No. 5 Florida after shooting 304 on Saturday. Arkansas’ Stacy Lewis posted a second-round low 69 (-3) to move into the individual lead. After shooting 70 (-2) on Friday, she holds a four-shot lead on Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst and College of Charleston’s Steffi Kirchmayr, who was the first-round leader.

Play concludes Sunday with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. South Carolina will play in threesomes with UNC Wilmington and Penn State.