April 15, 2011

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

AUBURN, Ala. – South Carolina’s women’s golf team got off to a hot start in Friday’s first round of the SEC Championship, but found tough going down the stretch as they posted a team score of 302 (+14) and are in ninth place through 18 holes at the Auburn University Club.

Freshman Suzie Lee led the way with a 1-over-par 73 to tie for 19th place, but the round started off with loads of promise. Starting on the back nine, she birdied two of her first three holes and played a bogey-free first nine holes in 3-under-par 33 after another birdie at 16. But she made two bogeys immediately after the turn, then bogeyed Nos. 7 and 8 to finish 1-over for the day.

Katie Burnett shot a 75 (+3) to tie for 29th place after one round. She birdied her first hole of the day, then rolled off five straight pars before bogeys at 16 and 17 left her 1-over at the turn. Another bogey at No. 2 dropped her to 3-over, but she got it back with a birdie at the fourth. However, two more bogeys down the stretch cost her another two strokes to give her a 3-over-par day.

The team’s two other freshmen, Samantha Swinehart and Katie Rose Higgins, recorded matching rounds of 77 (+5) in their initial SEC Championship appearance. Swinehart made the turn at even par after recording two bogeys on the back nine but offsetting them with birdies at 16 and 18. She moved to 2-over with bogeys at Nos. 1 and 4, but a tough double bogey-bogey finish left her at 5-over for the day. Higgins was mostly steady with 14 pars on the day – just one bogey on the back nine – but made two bogeys and a double on her front nine for a 5-over day. Sophomore Amanda Strang finished with an 83 (+11).

Tournament host Auburn leads the way after a first-round 283 (-5), two shots ahead of Tennessee. The Lady Vols’ Erica Popson, who tied for medalist honors last year before falling in a playoff, holds the first round lead after a scorching 66 (-6), three shots clear of Auburn’s Cydney Clanton and Arkansas’ Emily Tubert.

The Gamecocks will be paired with Florida and Vanderbilt for Saturday’s second round, and the threesomes will begin at 9:20 a.m. CDT (10:20 a.m. EDT) on the No. 10 tee. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com.

SEC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP – FIRST ROUND
April 15, 2011 • Auburn, Ala.
Auburn University Club • Par 72, 6,364 Yards

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T19. Suzie Lee – 73 (+1)
T29. Katie Burnett – 75 (+3)
T36. Samantha Swinehart – 77 (+5)
T36. Katie Rose Higgins – 77 (+5)
T57. Amanda Strang – 83 (+11)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Auburn – 283 (-5)
2. Tennessee – 285 (-3)
3. LSU – 287 (-1)
4. Arkansas – 289 (+1)
5. Alabama – 291 (+3)
6. Georgia – 292 (+4)
7. Vanderbilt – 295 (+7)
8. Florida – 301 (+13)
9. South Carolina – 302 (+14)
T10. Kentucky – 315 (+27)
T10. Mississippi State – 315 (+27)
12. Mississippi – 316 (+28)