Aug. 9, 2011

BARRINGTON, R.I. – South Carolina sophomore Samantha Swinehart shot a 79 in the second round of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Rhode Island Country Club. A key returnee for the Gamecocks in 2011-12, Swinehart missed the cut of the top 64 players who advance to match play in the tournament Wednesday.

After struggling on the back nine in the opening round, Swinehart opened on that half of the course on Tuesday. With a bogey, birdie and par on the first three holes, Lancaster, Ohio, native made the turn at 2-over looking to make up ground in the second half of her round. She held firm at par through the next three holes before a double-bogey on the par-4 fourth hole. Swinehart closed the round at 79 (+8) to finish off the pace for the cut.

Swinehart played her best golf on the par-5s, playing them at 1-under through two rounds. But there were not enough of them on the course for her to make up the ground she lost on the challenging par-4s. It was the sophomore’s first appearance in the national event.