May 21, 2010

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Sophomore Katie Burnett posted her second straight round under par and South Carolina finished in a tie for 14th place at the 2010 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, which concluded Friday at the Country Club of Landfall Dye Course. Burnett tied for ninth place in the individual standings with a four-day total of 286 (-2), equaling the second-best national finish for a Gamecock in school history.

The Gamecocks’ four-day total of 1186 (+34) was the best-ever 72-hole score in school history, 18 shots better than the team’s previous best score of 1204 at the 1995 NCAA Championship – also held here at the Dye Course. It is the highest finish for a South Carolina women’s team since 1999, when the Gamecocks also finished 14th. Individually, the only Gamecock to have ever bettered Burnett’s showing was Siew-Ai Lim, who tied for sixth place in 1995.

South Carolina entered the day in 12th place by one shot, moving them to the afternoon groups. The slightly tougher course conditions dropped them two spots in the final standings, tied with Pepperdine and two shots behind Virginia. New Mexico and Texas tied for 16th place, three shots back of the Gamecocks and Waves.

Burnett’s four rounds of 72-74-69-71=286 (-2) mark the best 72-hole effort in South Carolina women’s golf history, seven shots better than the previous record held by Adrienne Gautreaux and Siew-Ai Lim. Starting on the back nine, Burnett made birdie at No. 10 but gave it back at the 12th as her par putt lipped out. A long putt for birdie found the cup at 14, but the tricky 16th again claimed that shot back. Burnett birdied 17 for the second straight day to make the turn at 1-under.

After three straight pars to start her second nine, things looked shaky after her second shot at No. 4 landed out of bounds and left her with a double-bogey to drop her back over par. The sophomore showed tremendous resolve, however, and responded with back-to-back birdies on the next two holes to get back under par. Pars on the three closing holes – including two up-and-downs and a birdie putt at No. 8 that horseshoed the hole – kept her under par for the day and for the tournament. She is the first South Carolina women’s player to ever finish under par at an NCAA Championship, tying Purdue’s Numa Gulyanamitta and Stanford’s Sally Watson at 2-under for the week.

Friday’s strong play wasn’t just limited to Burnett. Senior Corrine Carr posted a 1-under 71 on the day to finish off her collegiate career on a high note, earning a tie for 54th place. As with the first three days, Carr started slow with bogey at 12, but came back with birdies at 15 and 17 to make the turn at 1-under. She would get as low as 3-under with birdies at No. 2 and No. 6, but fell back to 1-under after bogeying the seventh and ninth holes coming in. Carr wraps up a two-year stint as a Gamecock after the native of Pinehurst, N.C., transferred from Furman prior to her junior year.

Fellow senior Benedicte Toumpsin finished with a 77 (+5) to complete one of the most successful four-year careers in South Carolina history. The native of Sombreffe, Belgium, completes her four years as a Gamecock with a career stroke average of 74.59, which ranks third in South Carolina history behind Burnett and current LPGA star Kristy McPherson. The senior started shaky with three bogeys on her first nine to make the turn at 3-over, then got one back quickly with birdie at No. 1. However, she would make double-bogey at the par-3 second hole, then climb to plus-5 with bogey at No. 5. A birdie at the sixth helped briefly, but she gave that back with a bogey at the par-3 eighth. Toumpsin tied for 67th place at 301 (+13), two shots better than her previous NCAA Championship appearance in 2008.

The team’s third senior, Taylor Barrett, shot 78 (+6) in the final round to finish in a tie for 102nd place, 20 places better than her previous trip to the NCAA Championship in 2008. Playing the back nine in 3-over with bogeys at 11, 13 and 16 equaled her second round for her best trip around holes 10-18 all week. Four pars to begin the second nine kept her at 3-over, as did a bogey-birdie stretch on the fifth and sixth holes. The par-3 eighth was a killer, though, as she made triple-bogey to finish the day at plus-6.

Freshman Amanda Strang tied for 99th place in her initial trip to the NCAA Championship, posting a closing 77 (+5) to finish at 306 (+18) for the week. She made the turn at 2-over after an adventurous first nine that featured two birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey, then got to 1-over after a birdie at No. 2. However, a rough stretch over the next three holes dropped her to 5-over before a birdie at the sixth briefly stopped the bleeding. She would finish bogey-par-par to wrap up a strong freshman season in which she played in every event for the Gamecocks.

Purdue held off a late charge by Southern California and Alabama to win the national championship by one shot, shooting 1153 (+1) to Southern Cal’s 1154 (+2). Alabama finished third at 1157 (+5) despite the best team round of the day at 286 (-2). Oklahoma State’s Carolina Hedwall – who played in the final group with Burnett – was the individual national champion with a 276 (-12), four shots clear of Arizona State’s Jennifer Johnson at 280 (-8). Auburn’s Cydney Clanton fired a final-round 66 (-6) to tie for third place with Purdue’s Maude-Aimee LeBlanc.

With the collegiate season concluded, Gamecocks past and present will now turn their attention to summer tournaments, including qualifying for USGA national championships. Fans can follow their favorite Gamecock golfers throughout the year at GamecocksOnline.com.

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

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T9. Katie Burnett – 72-74-69-71=286 (-2)
T54. Corrine Carr – 76-75-76-71=298 (+10)
T67. Benedicte Toumpsin – 77-75-72-77=301 (+15)
T99. Amanda Strang – 75-73-81-77=306 (+20)
T102. Taylor Barrett – 77-76-76-78=307 (+21)

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Purdue – 284-294-280-295=1153 (+1)
2. Southern California – 282-288-295-289=1154 (+2)
3. Alabama – 289-288-294-286=1157 (+5)
4. Arizona State – 288-293-290-290=1161 (+9)
5. Arizona – 296-286-293-291=1166 (+14)
6. UCLA – 288-292-302-287=1169 (+17)
7. Vanderbilt – 296-292-291-291=1170 (+18)
T8. Duke – 288-303-300-288=1179 (+27)
T8. Oklahoma State – 295-294-296-294=1179 (+27)
10. Florida State – 289-302-294-297=1182 (+30)
T11. Auburn – 293-296-295-299=1183 (+31)
T11. Texas A&M – 297-302-286-298=1183 (+31)
13. Virginia – 294-291-307-292=1184 (+32)
T14. South Carolina – 300-297-293-296=1186 (+34)
T14. Pepperdine – 297-306-288-295=1186 (+34)
T16. New Mexico – 303-296-295-295=1189 (+37)
T16. Texas – 299-296-300-294=1189 (+37)
18. Tulane – 311-292-297-293=1193 (+41)
T19. TCU – 292-308-295-304=1199 (+47)
T19. Tennessee – 297-307-300-295=1199 (+47)
T19. Stanford – 300-307-302-290=1199 (+47)
22. Kent State – 307-305-297-291=1200 (+48)
T23. Oregon – 302-309-313-294=1218 (+66)
T23. San Jose State – 298-310-313-297=1218 (+66)