May 10, 2008

ATHENS, Ga. – South Carolina sophomore Bénédicte Toumpsin became the Gamecocks’ first individual regional champion in 13 years with a one-stroke victory over two players in the NCAA East Regional at University of Georgia Golf Course this afternoon. Heading into the final round at six-under, a final-round 76 (+4) was enough to collect her first collegiate victory. South Carolina finished the event in a tie for sixth place at 899 (291-303-305) and earned a spot in the NCAA Championship in Albuquerque, N.M., beginning on May 20.

“I am incredibly proud of how the team played this week,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson said. ” Everyone did their job. Bénédicte came into the tournament playing well and continued that. She had some rocky spots in the round but finished birdie-birdie on the final two holes playing some great golf. Camila Mori stepped up and was our solid No. 2 player. Her steady rounds really helped us. Really everyone on the team just played smart golf. They stuck to our game plan of playing to the smart areas of the challenging greens on the course. We plugged along making our pars by minimizing our mistakes and taking birdies where they came.”

Toumpsin was at or near the top of the leaderboard from the opening gun, carding a 68 (-4) behind five birdies in the first round. After a second-round 70 per her in first place with 18 holes left to play, the sophomore battled the nation’s top-ranked player in Duke’s Amanda Blumenherst in the same group. After making the turn at one-under, Toumpsin suffered her first difficult stretch of the tournament with a double-bogey on No. 11, a bogey on No. 15 and a quadruple bogey on No. 16. Sitting at six over for the round with two holes to play, Toumpsin was tied with Blumenherst. Both players birdied the par-5 17th, setting up the par-5 18th as the difference maker. Toumpsin got within a short wedge distance to the green, knocked her third shot within five feet of the hole and sank the putt for birdie and a round of 76 (+4), while Blumenherst could only come up with par.

Toumpsin’s total of 214 (-2) is the lowest by a Gamecock in an NCAA Regional since Kristy McPherson carded a 209 to finish second in 2003. Toumpsin joins Siew Ai Lim (1995) as the only Gamecocks to win an NCAA Regional.

Senior Camila Mori finished tied for 24th after a final-round 75 (+3) left her with a 54-hole total of 225 (+9). Mori was solid on the front nine, carding two birdies to make the turn at two-under. A bogey on No. 11 brought her back to one-under before a battle on the final three holes brought her back to three-over for the round.

Finishing tied for 50th, senior Blythe Worley turned in a 77 (+5) in the final round for a total of 230 (+14). Senior Whitney Simons carded her best round of the tournament with a 77 (+5) on Saturday. Her tournament toal of 234 (+18) put her in a tie for 67th. After a first-round 74 (+2), sophomore Taylor Barrett struggled in the final two rounds. Her 81 (+9) on Saturday left her with a share of 69th place at 235 (+19).

Florida led wire-to-wire and held off defendiing national champion Duke by one stroke for the team title. The Gators held on in the final round for a total of 883. Four of the eight schools advancing to the NCAA Championship are SEC programs as Georgia and Auburn finished third and fourth, respectively. Virginia took fifth, one shot ahead of the Gamecocks, while Wake Forest matched South Carolina’s 899. Furman rounded out the advancing group, edging NCAA Championship host New Mexico by one stroke.