Aug. 5, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior Samantha Swinehart and incoming freshman Sarah Schmelzel will open play in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship on Monday at The Country Club in Cleveland, Ohio.

The event, which runs through Aug. 12, will begin with a field of 156 golfers. After two rounds of stroke play, the field will be cut down to 64 individuals for match play. The U.S. Amateur is one of the last events of the summer for the South Carolina golfers before they begin preparing for the start of the 2012-13 season.

“It’s been a great summer for Gamecock golf,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Harris said. “From the beginning of the summer, we’ve had some great things happen, and it started with Katie Burnett qualifying for the U.S. Open. Just last week we had Meredith (Swanson) and Samantha play very well at the Collegiate Team Championship. They’ve all played well and have had a competitive summer. With Samantha and Sarah this week, they are looking at gaining experience. It’s important for them to stay competitive and gain experience. I think everybody has been preparing themselves this summer, and that’s what we need to be doing to get ready for the upcoming season.”

Swinehart has had a successful summer and is coming off a second-place finish with Swanson at the Women’s Collegiate Team Championship in Powell, Ohio. A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Swinehart is making her second straight appearance at the U.S. Amateur after shooting a 74 (+2) to qualify in Indianapolis, Ind.

Schmelzel, who is a native of Phoenix, Ariz., completed a stellar high school career last fall as she won medalist honors at the 2011 Arizona State High School Championship and led Xavier Prep to its third team state title in four years. Schmelzel qualified for the championship by shooting a 1-under 71 at the qualifier in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Swinehart will tee off in the afternoon wave on Monday beginning at 1 p.m., while Schmelzel is slated to tee off at 9:20 a.m. Live scoring will be available by clicking here.