April 18, 2016

KAPOLEI, Hawaii – Former South Carolina women’s golf standout and current LPGA Tour player Katie Burnett posted the best finish of her professional career on Saturday, finishing second at the LOTTE Championship at the Ko Olina Golf Club.

Burnett, who played at South Carolina from 2008-12, broke par in each of her four rounds at the event and finished one stroke off of tournament champion Minjee Lee’s 72-hole total of 272 (-16). Burnett opened her week with a 2-under 70, and the two-time All-American grabbed the 54-hole lead after chipping in for birdie on the par-4 18^th on Friday to post a third-round 67 (-5).

The former Gamecock took a two-stroke lead into the turn on Saturday’s final round, but a birdie by Lee on No. 17 and Burnett’s bogey on No. 16 left her one stroke back heading into the final two holes. After narrowly missing her birdie putt on No. 17, Burnett made par on the last hole and settled for second place. This weekend marked her second top-10 finish at the LOTTE Championship.

Burnett began her professional career in 2003 after four productive seasons at South Carolina. The two-time All-SEC Second-Team selection ranks third in career scoring average (74.18), and her 72.94 stroke average during the 2011-12 season stands as the third-best mark in program history. In 2010, she led the Gamecocks to the NCAA East Regional title, claiming medalist honors with a score of 210 (-6).