Oct. 3, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After an impressive seven-shot win at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, the most competitive tournament of the regular season, South Carolina women’s golf earned the first No. 1 ranking in the program’s history in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

“We’re obviously excited to have the No. 1 ranking in the country. However, it is really, really early,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Harris said. “It’s just the first month of the season, and we’ve got a long way to go until May. Our goal is to get better every practice and tournament. It’s an incredible way to start our season and to play that well in field that featured the top teams in the country. We’re excited about where this team is going to go.”

Earlier this week, South Carolina captured the inaugural ANNIKA Intercollegiate championship, firing a 10-under 854 for the three-day tournament. The Gamecocks were led by senior Justine Dreher’s 9-under par performance that earned the individual title. The hand-selected field featured 12 of the top 15 teams in the country.

Including the Gamecocks, three SEC teams are in the top 10 – No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Arkansas and No. 9 Tennessee.

South Carolina is just a year removed from a record-breaking season. Last year, the program reached as high as No. 4 in the Golfweek rankings and No. 5 in Golfstat.

The Gamecocks continue the season at the Tar Heel Invitational at the UNC Finley Golf Course. The event in Chapel Hill, N.C., is set for Oct. 10-12.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings – Oct. 3, 2014
1. South Carolina
2. Arkansas
3. Arizona
4. Stanford
5. Northwestern
6. Duke
7. Southern California
8. UCLA
9. Tennessee
10. Oklahoma State
11. Pepperdine
12. Vanderbilt
13. LSU
14. Auburn
15. Mississippi State
16. UNLV
17. San Diego State
18. Furman
19. Louisville
20. Wake Forest
21. Arizona State
22. Virginia
23. UCF
24. Denver
25. NC State