Feb. 15, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

SORRENTO, Fla. – On a difficult day for scoring, South Carolina shot a 16-over-par 304 and finished in a tie for fifth place at the UCF Challenge, which concluded Tuesday at RedTail Golf Club. The Gamecocks finished at 882 (+18) for the tournament, tied with Texas for the fifth spot.

Despite a tough final round, junior Katie Burnett earned her second top-10 finish of the season with a 72-67-77=216 (E), tying for eighth place overall. Burnett started off at a huge deficit after a lost ball on the first hole led to a triple-bogey, and she battled her way back throughout the day. A birdie at No. 2 and a bogey at the fifth kept her at 3-over at the turn, and a birdie at the 12th got her back to 2-over. But bogeys at 13, 14 and 17 dropped her to a 5-over 77 as she finished the tournament at even-par. It was the second top-10 finish of the season for Burnett and the sixth of her career.

Sophomore Meredith Swanson had the Gamecocks’ low round of the day with a 75 (+3) as she finished in a tie for 25th at 7-over-par 223. Starting on No. 2 with the shotgun start, Swanson made par on her first seven holes before a bogey at No. 9. A double-bogey at the 10th looked to spell trouble, but Swanson got a stroke back with a birdie at the par-5 12th. She played the rest of the way at 1-over as a bogey at the par-3 15th was her only blemish.

After setting the South Carolina freshman record for a single round Monday, Samantha Swinehart fought her way to a 76 (+4) and finished in a tie for 11th place, her best finish of the season and the second top-20 of her career. She had seven pars and two bogeys on the front nine to make the turn at 2-over, then made a birdie at No. 10 to get back to 1-over. After barely missing two birdie putts at 12 and 13, she stayed 1-over until the 15th when a tough bunker shot led to a double-bogey at the par-3. Another lip-out at 16 dropped her to 4-over, and she closed with two pars to finish the week at 1-over-par 217.

Amanda Strang, the sophomore from Sweden, equaled her second-round effort with a closing 76 (+4). She birdied No. 2, her first hole of the day, and played the rest of the round with 13 pars and four bogeys. Freshman Katie Rose Higgins struggled in her final round, carding an 84 (+12).

Coastal Carolina held on to win the event by one shot at 867 (+3), holding off Tulane (+4) and Minnesota (+5) in the final round. Kentucky’s Ashleigh Albrecht and Minnesota’s Teresa Puga were declared co-medalists after two playoff holes decided nothing; both finished at 8-under-par 208. Scoring was difficult for the entire field; only one team (Minnesota) broke par for the day and 13 of the 17 teams posted their highest team round of the week.

The Gamecocks will return to action in a little less than a month at the LSU Golf Classic, which is set for March 11-13 in Baton Rouge, La.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
8. Katie Burnett – 72-67-77=216 (E)
T11. Samantha Swinehart – 73-68-76=217 (+1)
T25. Meredith Swanson – 75-73-75=223 (+7)
T40. Amanda Strang – 74-76-76=226 (+10)
T66. Katie Rose Higgins – 75-76-84=235 (+19)

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Coastal Carolina – 867 (+3)
2. Tulane – 868 (+4)
3. Minnesota – 869 (+5)
4. Kentucky – 881 (+17)
T5. South Carolina – 882 (+18)
T5. Texas – 882 (+18)
7. UCF – 891 (+27)
8. South Florida – 895 (+31)
9. Augusta State – 899 (+35)
10. UTSA – 901 (+37)
11. Baylor – 903 (+39)
12. Mississippi – 905 (+41)
13. Kennesaw State – 906 (+42)
14. East Carolina – 909 (+45)
15. Memphis – 920 (+56)
16. Georgia State – 929 (+65)
17. Illinois State – 937 (+73)