March 22, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas – On a weekend that saw a bevy of high numbers across the board, the South Carolina women’s golf team turned in its best round of the tournament Sunday to climb two more spots into a tie for 12th place at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational. The Gamecocks shot a final-round 308 (+20), one of the better rounds of the day, to turn in a total score of 929 (+65).

Freshman Katie Burnett once again led the way for the Gamecocks with a final-round 73 (+1) to finish at 9-over for the tournament and in a tie for 23rd place overall. Burnett had an up-and-down day with four birdies and five bogeys, but was one of just a handful players in the field that managed to stay within a stroke of par on the day.

Junior Benedicte Toumpsin, who fired an even-par 72 on Saturday, matched her first-round score with a 5-over 77 in the final round. She finished the weekend at 10-over and tied for 26th place. Senior Meredith Taylor matched Toumpsin’s effort with a steady 77(+5), grabbing a tie for 47th place at 17-over.

No. 14 Purdue out-dueled top-ranked Arizona State for the team title as the Boilermakers fired a 6-over 294, six strokes better than the Sun Devils’ 300 (+12). Purdue finished at 8-over for the weekend with Arizona State at 14-over. Arkansas finished in third place, two shots behind ASU at 16-over.

Purdue made it a sweep for the weekend, taking the individual title as well with Maria Hernandez finishing at 6-under with a 71 on Sunday. Arkansas’ Lucy Nunn, who won the playoff last week over Toumpsin at the LSU Classic, took second place this week at 3-under, and New Mexico’s Jodi Ewart was two more shots back at 1-under for third place.

The Gamecocks will have next weekend off before heading to Browns Summit, N.C. for the prestigious Bryan Park National Collegiate, which runs April 3-5. It will be the final tune-up for South Carolina before it plays host to the SEC Women’s Golf Championships April 17-19 at Cobblestone Park in Blythewood.

CAROLINA RESULTS
T23. Katie Burnett – 74-78-73=225 (+9)
T26. Benedicte Toumpsin – 77-72-77=226 (+10)
T47. Meredith Taylor – 76-80-77=233 (+17)
86. Taylor Barrett – 86-81-81=248 (+32)
92. Cayci Ruppe – 83-WD-82

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Purdue (+8)
2. Arizona State (+14)
3. Arkansas (+16)
4. New Mexico (+27)
5. Duke (+33)
6. Notre Dame (+51)
T7. Furman (+54)
T7. Texas A&M (+54)
9. Texas (+55)
T10. Vanderbilt (+58)
T10. Oklahoma (+58)
T12. South Carolina (+65)
T12. Tulsa (+65)
14. Chattanooga (+66)
15. Arizona (+68)
16. Florida State (+69)
17. UCF (+86)