Oct. 9, 2009

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Senior Benedicte Toumpsin shot an even-par 72 on the opening day of the Lady Tar Heel Invitational to help the Gamecocks to seventh place after 18 holes of play. South Carolina shot 295 (+7) on Friday and stands only five shots out of second place heading into Saturday’s second round.

Toumpsin fired her best round of the year so far, but it could have been even better. After opening with a bogey on the first hole, the senior from Sombreffe, Belgium, made five birdies on the front nine, including four in a row as she made the turn with a 32 (-4). But she carded four bogeys on the back nine, including a stretch of three in four holes to close her round. Toumpsin is tied for 13th in a big group at even par.

Freshman Meredith Swanson is only one shot behind Toumpsin after an opening-round 73 (+1). Like Toumpsin, Swanson put together a strong front nine with three birdies against one bogey, making the turn at 2-under. But also like Toumpsin, Swanson faltered down the stretch, closing with four consecutive bogeys. She is tied for 22nd place after one round.

Amanda Strang, a freshman from Sweden, had an up-and-down day with five birdies scattered throughout her round, but they were coupled with five bogeys and a double-bogey to give her a 74 (+2). Sophomore Katie Burnett got off to a rough start with four bogeys in her first five holes, but settled down for the most part after that and finished with a 76 (+4) to tie for 42nd place. Senior Corrine Carr shot 78 (+6) in a round that included three birdies but two double-bogeys.

Fifth-ranked Michigan State leads the talent-laden field with an opening-round 285 (-3), five shots clear of second-place Alabama at 290 (+2). Tennessee is third with a 291 (+3), followed by Virginia (+4) and Wake Forest (+5).

Individually, MSU’s Laura Kueny shot a 69 (-3) to hold the 18-hole lead by one shot over Duke’s Courtney Ellenbogen, Louisville’s Sara-Maude Juneau and Florida State’s Hannah Thomson.

Second-round play gets underway at 9 a.m. Saturday with the Gamecocks paired with Auburn and host North Carolina. They will start on the No. 1 tee. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T13. Benedicte Toumpsin – 72 (E)
T22. Meredith Swanson – 73 (+1)
T31. Amanda Strang – 74 (+2)
T42. Katie Burnett – 76 (+4)
T64. Corrine Carr – 78 (+6)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Michigan State – 285 (-3)
2. Alabama – 290 (+2)
3. Tennessee – 291 (+3)
4. Virginia – 292 (+4)
5. Wake Forest – 293 (+5)
6. Florida State – 294 (+6)
7. SOUTH CAROLINA – 295 (+7)
T8. Auburn – 296 (+8)
T8. North Carolina – 296 (+8)
10. Vanderbilt – 298 (+10)
11. Duke – 299 (+11)
12. NC State – 301 (+13)
13. Denver – 302 (+14)
T14. Louisville – 304 (+16)
T14. Texas A&M – 304 (+16)
16. Kent State – 306 (+18)
17. UNC Wilmington – 310 (+22)
18. East Carolina – 316 (+28)