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April 20, 2008

LOUDON, Tenn. – South Carolina women’s golf held steady in the final round to finish fifth at the SEC Championship today at Tennessee National. The Gamecocks shot their tournament-best round of 296 (+8) on the final day to finish with a total of 915. Sophomore Bénédicte Toumpsin turned in steady rounds of 72 each day to finish third in the tournament, the highest Gamecock finish since Kristy McPherson took third in the 2003 event.

Toumpsin’s tournament total of 216 (E) was the lowest round by a South Carolina player at the SEC Championship since McPherson’s 209 won the event in 2002 and was two strokes behind tournament winner and defending NCAA champion Stacy Lewis’ 214 (-2). Her final round featured two birdies on each half of the course, including a tournament-capping one on 18 to get back to even par for the round.

Sophomore Taylor Barrett proved the future of Gamecock women’s golf is bright as she finished 14th in her first postseason event. Her career-best total of 226 (+10) came with an exclamation point as she fired a season-best 71 (-1) in the final round. After opening with a double bogey, Barrett closed the front nine with birdies on two of the final three holes to make the turn at two over. Down the stretch, she was spot on, scoring birdies on Nos. 11, 13 and 15 and cruising to par on each of the final three holes.

Wrapping up her final SEC Championship with her tournament-best round of 75, senior Camila Mori finished 36th with a three-round total of 237 (+21). After fighting to six over on the front nine, Mori steadied her round over the final nine, sinking consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 and closing with a birdie on the par-3 17th.

Senior Blythe Worley finished 46th with a total of 241 (+25) after shooting 80 (+8) on Sunday. Struggling with bogeys throughout the tournament, she continued to battle on the front nine of her final round. Four bogeys and a double bogey had her at six over at the turn. A stretch of six pars over the next seven holes held the round even, and a birdie on No. 17 shaved off a stroke.

Senior Whitney Simons contributed a 78 (+6) to the Gamecocks’ final-round total after an incorrect signature disqualified her second round. She punctuated her final SEC Championship with birdies on Nos. 16 and 18.

Florida held onto its 36-hole lead and ran away from the field on the final day, shooting a tournament-best 284 Sunday to finish at 874 (+10), 17 strokes ahead of Arkansas, as the Gators collected their eighth SEC title. Arkansas’ Lewis won her second individual SEC title in three years and her sixth victory of the season. With rounds of 69, 73 and 72, she led at the end of each round and held off a late charge from Florida’s Hannah Yun.