May 20, 2010

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Sophomore Katie Burnett posted a round of 69 (-3) to lead South Carolina in the third day of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. The Gamecocks shot 293 (+5) as a team, a four-shot improvement from the second round, to move into 12th place through three rounds at the Country Club of Landfall Dye Course.

Since an opening-round 300 (+12), the Gamecocks have climbed seven spots in the standings and within striking distance of a top-10 national finish with 18 holes to play on Friday. Steady rain on Wednesday disrupted play for more than half the field, but softened up the course and made the greens receptive. The Gamecocks’ scores reflected that as the team posted the third-lowest round among the morning groups.

However, the course did not play easier for everyone. In fact, the 16th hole – a par-3 over water with the flagstick tucked in the front right corner of the green – was by far the most difficult of the week, playing at 0.72 strokes over par for the field. The Gamecocks felt the full effect of it, losing five strokes on that hole alone. By contrast, the stretch of holes to begin the back nine that gave South Carolina such trouble in the first two rounds, proved to be somewhat less painful as the Gamecocks played holes 10-13 in 2-under par on Thursday.

Burnett rebounded from what she called a “frustrating” round on Wednesday to post one of just seven rounds in the 60s on the day, carding a 69 (-3) to move to 215 (-1) for the tournament and a tie for seventh place. The sophomore from Brunswick, Ga., started somewhat slow with a bogey at No. 3 – a hole that has cost her four strokes this week – but got it back with birdie at the par-3 eighth after nearly holing her tee shot. A bogey at No. 9 left her 1-over at the turn.

The back nine, however, would be a completely different story. After an amazing save out of the woods for par on 10, she made a solid par at 11 before playing the 12th perfectly for a birdie to pull back even. After two-putt pars at 13 and 14, she made a huge birdie at the 15th after she pulled her drive into the left rough, put her approach past the hole and drained a downhill 20-footer to get to 1-under for the day. A par at the tricky 16th was a great score as they were few and far between. A 15-foot putt dropped for birdie at the 17th, then a perfectly-placed wedge on 18 led to a five-footer for her fourth birdie of the back nine to get to 3-under for the day and 1-under for the championship.

Senior Benedicte Toumpsin posted her best round of the week with an even-par 72, three shots better than Wednesday and five better than her opening round. Like Burnett, she started a bit slow with back-to-back bogeys at the first two holes, but got one stroke back with birdie at the long par-4 seventh. Despite giving it back with bogey at No. 8, she erased a 2-over mark at the turn with consecutive birdies at holes 11 and 12. Three straight pars kept her at level par, but the 16th hole caused trouble as she made bogey to drop back to 1-over. However, she would record her fourth birdie of the day at the closing hole to finish with an even-par round.

Fellow senior Taylor Barrett, in her penultimate appearance as a Gamecock, had one of her best collegiate rounds going through nine holes. A three-birdie effort on the front nine, coupled with a pair of bogeys, left her at 1-under as she made the turn. She would stay there with pars on her next four holes, but the upcoming three-hole stretch would cause big trouble. After bogeys and 14 and 15 to get to 1-over, the York, S.C., native found the water at 16 and made a triple-bogey to drop to 4-over. She would card a 76 (+4) for the second straight day, and she is tied for 90th heading into Friday’s final round.

Corrine Carr fought through some putting trouble in her third round, carding a 4-over 76 of her own. She made the turn at 4-over after four bogeys on the front nine, several of which were the result of three-putts. She got a stroke back with a birdie at the par-5 12th, then made bogeys on her next two holes to move to 5-over. Carr would then finish strong with three pars and a birdie at No. 17 to come in at 4-over for the day. Freshman Amanda Strang fought her way to an 81 (+9), but did record one birdie at the ninth hole.

Purdue posted the best team round of the week on Thursday to jump into the tournament lead at 858 (-6) after shooting 280 (-8). Southern California dropped seven shots to 865 (+1), but still maintains second place. Arizona State and Alabama are tied for third at 871 (+7). Individually, Arizona State’s Jennifer Johnson maintained her 36-hole lead with her second straight 70 to stand at 207 (-9), one shot ahead of Oklahoma State’s Caroline Hedwall. Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of Purdue and Jennifer Song of Southern Cal are tied for third place at 210 (-6).

The Gamecocks will play their final round of the 2010 season on Friday afternoon, paired with Texas A&M and Oklahoma State for the last 18 holes of the NCAA Championship. Tee times begin at 12:30 p.m. on the No. 10 tee. Fans can follow live hole-by-hole scoring at Golfstat.com and receive periodic updates via Twitter by following @GamecockWGolf. In addition, live streaming video of the final three holes can be seen at NCAA.com or by clicking the link on GamecocksOnline.com.

NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP – THIRD ROUND
Country Club of Landfall – Dye Course • Wilmington, N.C.
Par 72 • 6,368 Yards

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T7. Katie Burnett – 72-74-69=215 (-1)
T49. Benedicte Toumpsin – 77-75-72=224 (+8)
T74. Corrine Carr – 76-75-76=227 (+11)
T90. Amanda Strang – 75-73-81=229 (+13)
T90. Taylor Barrett – 77-76-76=229 (+13)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Purdue – 284-294-280=858 (-6)
2. Southern California – 282-288-295=865 (+1)
T3. Arizona State – 288-293-290=871 (+7)
T3. Alabama – 289-288=294=871 (+7)
5. Arizona – 296-286-293=875 (+11)
6. Vanderbilt – 296-292-291=879 (+15)
7. UCLA – 288-292-302=882 (+18)
8. Auburn – 293-296-295=884 (+20)
T9. Florida State – 289-302-294=885 (+21)
T9. Texas A&M – 297-302-286=885 (+21)
T9. Oklahoma State – 295-294-296=885 (+21)
12. South Carolina – 300-297-293=890 (+26)
T13. Duke – 288-303-300=891 (+27)
T13. Pepperdine – 297-306-288=891 (+27)
15. Virginia – 294-291-307=892 (+28)
16. New Mexico – 303-296-295=894 (+30)
T17. Texas – 299-296-300=895 (+31)
T17. TCU – 292-308-295=895 (+31)
19. Tulane – 311-292-297=900 (+36)
20. Tennessee – 297-307-300=904 (+40)
T21. Kent State – 307-305-297=909 (+45)
T21. Stanford – 300-307-302=909 (+45)
23. San Jose State – 298-310-313=921 (+57)
24. Oregon – 302-309-313=924 (+60)