May 5, 2011

Live Scoring | Live Blog

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

(UPDATED 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT)

AUBURN, Wash. – Despite playing the first round of the NCAA West Regional in wind and rain, South Carolina posted what turned out to be a strong score of 303 (+15) and stands in a three-way tie for seventh place after one round at Washington National Golf Club.

The top eight teams in the 24-team field after three round of play advance to the NCAA Championship, which runs May 18-21 in College Station, Texas.

The course played much longer than its par-72, 6,321-yard length, forcing players to use hybrids or long irons on their second shots into many of the par 4s. That led to few birdies among the field and higher scores than what the course would normally surrender.

Junior Katie Burnett – the defending NCAA East Regional champion – led the way for the Gamecocks with a 75 (+3). Undeterred by the conditions or a bogey at the opening hole, she made the turn at 1-under after birdies at 13, 15 and 18. But she hit a rough stretch on holes 2-4, carding two bogeys and a triple-bogey before finishing with four pars and a birdie at No. 8.

Samantha Swinehart also shot a 3-over-par 75, but did it in much different fashion from Burnett. After making the turn at 1-over – including a birdie at the par-3 16th that was inches from being a hole-in-one – the freshman had issues around the green on No. 1 and recorded a quadruple-bogey 9 to drop to 5-over. However, she would not be shaken, coming back with a birdie at No. 2 and playing bogey-free golf the rest of the way with another birdie at No. 6 to finish at 3-over.

Freshman Katie Rose Higgins also battled back after some early adversity to shoot 76 (+4) in her introduction to NCAA postseason play. After starting with two bogeys, she made the turn at 4-over before carding back-to-back birdies on holes 1-2 to get back to 2-over. A tough stretch at the fifth and sixth holes got her back to 4-over, and she finished the day with three straight pars.

The team’s third freshman, Suzie Lee, made birdie on both par-3s on her first nine and turned at 2-over 38. After rolling off four straight pars, Lee ran into trouble with a bogey at No. 5 and a double-bogey at No. 7 to drop to 5-over; she would finish with a 77 (+5). Sophomore Amanda Strang had a pair of double-bogeys and a birdie on her first nine to make the turn at 3-over, but then made four bogeys in her first five holes of the front nine to finish at 7-over 79.

Southern California leads the way after an even-par round of 288 (E), followed by Virginia at 290 (+2) and Tennessee at 292 (+4). After those three teams, there exists only a seven-shot difference between fourth and 13th place. Individually, the Lady Vols’ Erica Popson holds the 18-hole lead after a round of 68 (-4) with Southern Cal’s Sophia Popov and UC Davis’ Demi Runas tied for second place at 3-under.

The Gamecocks tee off on No. 1 at 12:20 p.m. PT (3:20 ET) Friday, again paired with Oklahoma and Oregon. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com, and fans can follow the action via a live blog at gohuskies.com or via Twitter by following @GamecockWGolf.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T26. Katie Burnett – 75 (+3)
T26. Samantha Swinehart – 75 (+3)
T41. Katie Rose Higgins – 76 (+4)
T54. Suzie Lee – 77 (+5)
T78. Amanda Strang – 79 (+7)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Southern Cal – 288 (E)
2. Virginia – 290 (+2)
3. Tennessee – 292 (+4)
4. UC Davis – 300 (+12)
5. Texas A&M – 301 (+13)
6. Oregon – 302 (+14)
T7. South Carolina – 303 (+15)
T7. Arizona – 303 (+15)
T7. BYU – 303 (+15)
T10. Iowa State – 304 (+16)
T10. Washington – 304 (+16)
12. Portland State – 305 (+17)
13. Denver – 307 (+19)
T14. San Diego State – 310 (+22)
T14. New Mexico – 310 (+22)
T14. Tulsa – 310 (+22)
17. UTSA – 311 (+23)
18. Georgia – 314 (+26)
19. San Jose State – 315 (+27)
20. Oklahoma – 316 (+28)
21. Pepperdine – 318 (+30)
22. New Mexico State – 319 (+31)
23. Oral Roberts – 320 (+20)
24. UTEP – 321 (+33)