Sept. 3, 2009

COLUMBIA – South Carolina senior golfer Benedicte Toumpsin has been named one of GolfWorld magazine’s “50 Players to Watch,” the publication announced Thursday.

Toumpsin, a native of Sombreffe, Belgium, has been the Gamecocks’ team leader for the past two seasons. She finished the 2009 campaign with a 73.90 stroke average, the fourth-best season in school history (trailing three seasons by current LPGA pro Kristy McPherson). She was the runner-up at the 2009 SEC Championship and posted six top-20 finishes on the year, earning a second-team All-SEC nod.

The preseason coaches’ poll was also released Thursday with the Gamecocks in the “receiving votes” category. South Carolina finished the 2009 season ranked 43rd by GolfWeek after a 12th-place finish in the NCAA East Regional.

The 2009-10 season gets underway this weekend at the Hooters/NGCA Collegiate Match Play Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla.