May 7, 2011

Live Scoring | Live Blog

By Wes Todd
Assistant Media Relations Director

AUBURN, Wash. – Strong play from South Carolina freshmen Samantha Swinehart and Suzie Lee on Friday afternoon helped the Gamecocks to a team score of 299 (+11) and seventh place through two rounds at the NCAA West Regional. The Gamecocks are currently at 602 (+26) and in the hunt for their second straight trip to the NCAA Championship.

Swinehart had her third round of the season under par with a 71 (-1) Friday, leading the way for the Gamecocks and moving into a tie for 11th place in the 126-player field. The freshman from Lancaster, Ohio, started with a birdie at the first hole – a five-shot improvement from a quadruple-bogey 9 on the same hole Thursday – then made the turn at 1-under after a bogey at No. 2 and a birdie at No. 6.

After nearly holing out from the bunker at No. 10, she made pars on the first two holes of the back nine before a tough three-putt bogey at No. 12. From that point on, however, Swinehart was nearly flawless. She rolled off four straight pars on some of the most difficult holes on the course before coming to the par-5 17th. Her second shot, a layup to about 100 yards, nearly found the hazard down the right side of the fairway. Just feet from the hazard, she took dead aim at the flagstick and hit her approach to less than a foot; one more roll and it would have dropped for an eagle. She would tap in for birdie and then make par at the 18th to finish off one of her best rounds as a Gamecock.

Fellow freshman Suzie Lee fought back from some mid-round adversity to post an even-par 72, her fourth such score of the season. She found her way to red numbers early on with a birdie at No. 3, but some putting woes led to bogeys on holes 6, 8 and 9 to make the turn at 2-over. A birdie at No. 10 would kickstart a bogey-free back nine that saw her record seven straight pars before a huge birdie at the 18th to finish off her day.

Swinehart’s birdie at 17 and Lee’s birdie at 18 proved to be the difference for Carolina as they moved from ninth to seventh place, one shot ahead of Oregon and Texas A&M, who fell back toward the end of their respective rounds. The top eight teams from each of three regionals will advance to the NCAA Championship, which runs May 18-21 in College Station, Texas.

The rest of the team came through in their own way as well. Sophomore Amanda Strang hit 15 of 18 greens in her second round and finished with a 78 (+6), improving by one shot over her first-round effort as the putts just would not fall on this day. And freshman Katie Rose Higgins shook off a pair of early double-bogeys – making the turn at 5-over – and played the back nine with eight pars and just one bogey to finish with a 78 (+6) of her own. Junior Katie Burnett struggled at times Friday, finishing with an 81 (+9).

Despite heavy rains picking up toward the end of the day, Southern California continues to lead the tournament at 572 (-4) after shooting a 4-under-par 284 on Friday. Tennessee strengthened its hold on second place with a 287 (-1) Friday; they stand seven shots back of the top-ranked Trojans. Virginia and UC Davis are third and fourth, respectively, followed by Arizona, Washington and South Carolina for the top seven spots. Texas A&M and Oregon are tied for the eighth and final berth in the NCAA Championship.

Individually, Tennessee’s Erica Popson holds a three-shot lead at 137 (-7) after a round of 3-under 69 today. Southern Cal’s Lizette Salas is in second place at 4-under, followed by UC Davis’ Demi Runas at 3-under. If the tournament ended today, North Dakota State’s Amy Anderson and Georgia’s Emile Burger would earn individual bids to the NCAA Championship at even-par 144, tied for fifth place.

The Gamecocks begin the final 18 holes of the NCAA West Regional at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. EDT) Saturday on the No. 1 tee, paired with Texas A&M and Oregon. Live scoring is available through golfstat.com, and fans can keep up with the action via a live blog on gohuskies.com or by following @GamecockWGolf on Twitter.

More rain is in the forecast for Saturday, and extra moisture to an already-saturated course could present a number of issues for the players and the tournament itself. Stay with GamecocksOnline.com and Twitter for the latest updates.

NCAA WEST REGIONAL – SECOND ROUND
May 6, 2011 • Auburn, Wash.
Washington National Golf Club • Par 72, 6,321 Yards

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS
T11. Samantha Swinehart – 75-71=146 (+2)
T25. Suzie Lee – 77-72=149 (+5)
T53. Katie Rose Higgins – 76-78=154 (+10)
T63. Katie Burnett – 75-81=156 (+12)
T73. Amanda Strang – 79-78=157 (+13)

TEAM STANDINGS
1. Southern California – 572 (-4)
2. Tennessee – 579 (+3)
3. Virginia – 591 (+15)
4. UC Davis – 592 (+16)
5. Arizona – 596 (+20)
6. Washington – 598 (+22)
7. South Carolina – 602 (+26)
T8. Texas A&M – 603 (+27)
T8. Oregon – 603 (+27)
10. Iowa State – 611 (+35)
T11. BYU – 614 (+38)
T11. Denver – 614 (+38)
T13. Portland State – 616 (+40)
T13. Oklahoma – 616 (+40)
T15. Pepperdine – 617 (+41)
T15. Georgia – 617 (+41)
17. San Diego State – 621 (+45)
18. UTSA – 624 (+48)
19. Tulsa – 625 (+49)
20. New Mexico – 628 (+52)
21. San Jose State – 631 (+55)
T22. New Mexico State – 634 (+58)
T22. Oral Roberts – 634 (+58)
24. UTEP – 645 (+69)