Dec. 6, 2010

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

Former South Carolina women’s golfer Benedicte Toumpsin rallied from a tough opening round at Spain’s La Manga Club to earn a spot in the final stage of qualifying school for the 2011 Ladies European Tour.

Toumpsin, a native of Sombreffe, Belgium, posted rounds of 81-72-73-68=294 (+6) to tie for 14th place and earn one of 35 available places in the pre-qualifying stage, which was held last week at La Manga Club. Rough weather conditions and jetlag, Toumpsin said, led to a rough opening round.

“I started with a really bad score, but I managed to make a good comeback,” Toumpsin, a 2010 South Carolina graduate, said via e-mail. “It made me kind of upset and made me react directly. It was really stressful because of the 170 players, only 70 have access to the final stage.”

Her comeback started quickly. On the second hole of her second round, she recorded her first hole-in-one as a professional as she hit an 8-iron right on target and watched it spin back in the hole. She finished that round with a 72, then went on to record a 73 and a 68 in her final two rounds to move up to 14th place, comfortably above the cut line.

Toumpsin said that while she is happy to have made the final stage, the competition becomes more fierce and the stress builds as full exemption on the 2011 Ladies European Tour is within reach.

“There will be intensive preparation until the final stage,” she said. “We are playing the same golf course, actually two different courses. I am going to focus a lot on my driving and short game. I am really excited about the next tournament and hope to do even better.”

The final stage of qualifying school will feature 104 players competing over five rounds for 30 exempt spots on the 2011 Tour. The tournament runs December 15-20 at the La Manga Club in Spain.