Oct. 13, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 24 South Carolina women’s golf resumes its fall slate at the 2016 Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational, set for Oct. 14-16. The 54-hole event, which gets underway on Friday, will be contested at Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, N.C.

COACH Kalen Anderson ON THE EVENT

BREAKING DOWN THE FIELD

Seven schools listed in Golfstat’s Top-25 poll will be in action at Finley Golf Course. Top-ranked Alabama marks the one top-10 team in the field, while No. 25 Arkansas, LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and the No. 24 Gamecocks round out the SEC schools competing at the event. No. 13 Duke has won the tournament in each of the last three seasons.

HISTORY AT THE TAR HEEL INVITATIONAL

This weekend marks the 29th appearance at the Tar Heel Invitational for Carolina, which has competed at the event in each of the last 11 years. The Gamecocks have earned 10 top-five finishes at the tournament, including two in the last three seasons under head coach Kalen Anderson. South Carolina’s best showing came in 2014 when it grabbed runner-up honors with a 54-hole mark of 864 (E).

LAST TIME OUT

South Carolina senior standout Katelyn Dambaugh continued her record-breaking form this fall, carding the lowest 54-hole score (206, -10) in program history at the 2016 Cougar Classic. Dambaugh earned runner-up honors at the event after breaking par in all three rounds at Yeamans Hall Club. The Gamecocks placed in a tie for seventh with a three-round total of 869 (+5), while North Carolina won the event after posting an 838 (-26). Junior Ainhoa Olarra and sophomore Marion Veysseyre finished in a tie for 34th at 3-over for the Gamecocks, who have grabbed top-10 showings in six of their seven appearances at the Cougar Classic. Sophomore Isidora Nilsson tied for 83rd with a 226 (+10), while freshman Anita Uwadia placed in a tie for 93rd after posting a three-day mark of 230 (+14).

Freshman Anita Uwadia enjoyed an impressive debut for the Gamecocks, firing a 69 (-3) in each of her first two rounds. She finished just outside the top 10 in a tie for 11th (210, -6), while junior Ainhoa Olarra and sophomore Marion Veysseyre tied for 27th with a three-round total of 216 (E). Senior Jia Xin Yang placed 54th after finishing at 9-over (225).

CHIP SHOTS

• South Carolina enters its 10 season under head coach Kalen Anderson, who has guided the program to eight tournament wins and seven NCAA Championship appearances
• Carolina is one of five schools to reach the NCAA Championship in each of the last seven years, and this spring marked its 16th overall appearance
• By finishing ahead of Clemson at the Cougar Classic, the Gamecocks earned a point for South Carolina in the 2016-17 Palmetto Series
• Senior Katelyn Dambaugh’s performance at the Cougar Classic marked the fifth runner-up finish of her career
• Dambaugh, who ranks second in Division I in stroke average (69.00), finished under par in five of her six rounds this season
• Sophomore Isidora Nilsson’s 72 (E) on day two of the Cougar Classic was her second career round of par or better
• Freshman Ana Pelaez will make her collegiate debut for the Gamecocks at the Tar Heel Invitational

UP NEXT FOR THE GAMECOCKS

South Carolina rounds out its fall season later this month at the 2016 Landfall Tradition. The 54-hole event takes place Oct. 28-30 at the Pete Dye Course in Wilmington, N.C.