Oct. 23, 2010

WILMINGTON, N.C. – On a tough scoring day at the Country Club of Landfall Dye Course, South Carolina fell to ninth place after posting a team score of 307 (+19) on Saturday at the Landfall Tradition. Katie Burnett posted the team’s best score for the second straight day and remains in the individual top 10.

The Gamecocks are one shot behind Wake Forest and six back of Notre Dame, but hold a four-shot cushion over Ohio State.

Burnett shot 74 (+2) to follow up an even-par first round, moving her to 146 (+2) through 36 holes and tied for 10th place. The junior from Brunswick, Ga., had two bogeys in her first four holes, but birdied Nos. 7 and 9 (with a bogey at No. 8) to make the turn at 1-over. A pair of bogeys at the 10th and 12th dropped her to 3-over, but she got one stroke back with birdie at 13 before closing with five straight pars.

Freshman Katie Rose Higgins improved by one shot over her opening round with a 77 (+5) on Saturday. A four-bogey front nine left her 4-over at the turn, but she made birdie at No. 13 to get one shot back. However, bogeys at the 15th and 18th dropped her to 5-over for the day and 11-over for the week. Amanda Strang and Samantha Swinehart both shot 78 (+6) for the day. After a front-nine 41, Strang responded with a 1-over 37 on the back nine, finishing with four straight pars. Swinehart had one birdie on the day at the par-5 fourth hole to go along with seven bogeys. Suzie Lee struggled in her second round, posting an 8-over-par 80.

Duke holds a five-shot lead at 575 (-1) after posting a 4-under 284 on Saturday. UCLA and North Carolina are tied for second place at 580 (+4). Individually, Virginia’s Brittany Altomare leads at 139 (-5), and Lindy Duncan of Duke is one shot back after a sizzling 66 (-6) on Saturday.

The teams will conclude the 54-hole event Sunday with an 8:45 shotgun start. The Gamecocks will be paired with Wake Forest and Notre Dame, teeing off on holes 6-9. Live scoring is available through golfstatresults.com.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T10. Katie Burnett – 72-74=146 (+2)
T45. Suzie Lee – 74-80=154 (+10)
T45. Amanda Strang – 76-78=154 (+10)
T54. Katie Rose Higgins – 78-77=155 (+11)
T54. Samantha Swinehart – 77-78=155 (+11)