May 22, 2008

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After playing essentially two full rounds through challenging conditions Thursday, South Carolina women’s golf is in 22nd place through three rounds of the NCAA Championship at University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course. Windy conditions pulled the Gamecocks off the course just a few holes into their second round Wednesday, and lightning delayed play for the whole field early in the Thursday’s third round. Playing late into the evening, South Carolina followed its second-round 316 with a 310 in round three.

Senior Camila Mori shot a team-best 73 (+1) in the second round, turning one birdie with 15 pars on her second trip around the course. In the third round, she stayed consistent, carding a 76 (+4) to sit in 49th place. A birdie on the par-5 10th in the third round got Mori back to two-over for the round before bogeys on two of the last three holes set her back.

Sophomore Bénédicte Toumpsin sandwiched first- and third-round 76s (+4) around a second-round 79 (+7). She opened the second round with a birdie and capped her first nine with one as well. But a double bogey and a bogey in between had her making the turn at one-over. She battled through second half of the round, falling to as many as eight over before a birdie on the final hole brought her back to 79. In round three, Toumpsin got off to a difficult start before a birdie on her eighth hole, the par-4 fourth hole, got her back on track. Adding a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole helped bring her back to 72nd place.

The best-placed Gamecock after the first round, senior Blythe Worley opened round two with a birdie on the par-5 10th, but saw her score deteriorate from there as she finished with an 85 (+13). Her third trip around the course was much smoother, despite a first-hole bogey. She went on to shoot 79 (+7), thanks to a stretch of seven straight pars midway through the round, and sits in 102nd place.

Senior Whitney Simons had similar difficulties in round two, carding an 83 (+11), before bouncing back to close her day with a third-round 79 (+7) to hold 102nd place. Sophomore Taylor Barrett shaved three strokes off her first-round total to post an 81 (+9) in round two. She carded an 82 (+10) in round three to sit in 122nd place.

With a few players left on the course late Thursday evening, Southern California held a three-stroke lead over UCLA, which is 10 shots ahead of Arizona State, heading into Friday’s final round. ASU’s Azahara Munoz leads Tiffany Joh of UCLA and Belen Mozo of Southern Cal by one stroke in the individual race after shooting 69, 72 and 73 through the first three rounds.