Sept. 27, 2015

Tournament Notes

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s golf heads to its second tournament of the fall, travelling to Reunion, Fla., for the second-annual ANNIKA Intercollegiate Presented by 3M, a 54-hole stroke play event at Reunion Resort which features 12 of the top programs from throughout the country. The Gamecocks won the event last year on their way to the program’s first No. 1 ranking. The three-day event is set to begin on Sunday morning at the par-72, 6,321-yard course and run through Tuesday.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
Dates: Sun., Sept. 27-Tues. Sept. 29
Location: Reunion, Fla.
Course: Watson Course at Reunion Resort
Format: 54-hole stroke play
The Lineup: Katelyn Dambaugh, Sarah Schmelzel, Ainhoa Olarra, Isidora Nilsson, Jia Xin Yang
The Field: Arizona, Arkansas, Duke, LSU, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, UCLA, USC, Washington
Live Scoring: Golfstat

DEFENDING THEIR CROWN
South Carolina won the ANNIKA last season in the event’s innaugural year, beating 12 teams who all finished in the top 25 of Golfweek’s 2015 final rankings. Carolina dominated the event with a score of 282-290-282=854 (-10), claiming victory by seven strokes. The three-day score of 854 matched the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Justine Dreher won the individual crown, shooting 68-68-71=207 (-9), while Nanna Madsen shot 2-under to finish tied for ninth. Dreher’s performance matched the school record for lowest 54-hole score, set by Kristy McPhweaon in the 2001 SEC Championship.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gamecocks finished in a tie for 12th-place at the Mason Rudolph Championship, held at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. Carolina received solid play from junior Katelyn Dambaugh, who posted a three-day score of 218(+2). Junior Jia Xin Yang and senior Sarah Schmelzel were remarkably consistent as well posting scores of 75-74-76=225(+9) and 75-75-75=225(+9) for the event.

HISTORIC LAST SEASON
The Gamecocks began last season in impressive fashion capturing the title at the ANNIKA. The win helped South Carolina earned the program’s first ever No. 1 ranking the following week. The Gamecocks would later earn the program’s first No. 1 seed for the NCAA East Regional where they took home the title for the third time in six seasons, advancing to their sixth-straight NCAA Championships. The team captured the school record for top-five finishes in a season, finishing with 10, capping off a streak of 15 straight top-five finishes dating back to 2013-14.

WHO’S BACK
Three of the five golfers from the Gamecocks’ core lineup in 2014-15, including junior Jia Xin Yang and two-time All-SEC honoree junior Katelyn Dambaugh, return. Senior Sarah Schmelzel, an SEC All-Freshman selection in the 2012-13 season, is back as well along with sophomore Ainhoa Olarra, who played in five tournaments as a freshman. Every returning player has been in the Gamecock lineup at some point in her career.

RECORD BREAKING
Earning its first No. 1 ranking last fall, South Carolina finished the season at No. 6 in the Golfstat rankings. The Gamecocks set a school record with 10 top-five finishes on the season, received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA East Regional for the first time in program history and won the East Regional title for the third time in the last six years. The team finished in the top six at every regular-season tournament and recorded 15 straight top-five finishes dating back to the 2013-14 season, the longest streak in program history. A pair of wins at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate as well as a runner-up finish at the SEC Championship also highlighted the season.

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina continues the fall season at the Ruth’s Chris Invitational, in Chapel Hill, N.C. The event, formerly known as the Tar Heel Invitational, is hosted by North Carolina and will take place Fri., Oct. 9 – Sun., Oct. 11 at UNC Finley Golf Course. The Gamecocks finished 2nd of 18 at the event last year.