Oct. 15, 2016

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — South Carolina women’s golfers Katelyn Dambaugh and Ana Pelaez both carded rounds of par or better on day two of the Tar Heel Invitational Saturday at Finley Golf Course. Dambaugh posted a 1-under 71, while Pelaez shot an even 72 for the No. 24 Gamecocks, who sit in seventh place (583, +7) following their second-round 291 (+3).

Dambaugh will head into Sunday’s final round of the 54-hole event in a tie for 13th place along with junior Ainhoa Olarra at even for the tournament. The senior turned in a steady performance on Saturday, carding 15 pars and just one bogey. She boasted a strong finish to her day, as the Goose Creek, S.C., native notched birdies on two of her last three holes, Nos. 16 and 17.

Pelaez (T29, +3) earned pars on four of her opening five holes before catching fire down the stretch of her front nine. She carded birdies on each of her next four holes, starting on the par-5 sixth, and the freshman made the turn at 3-under 33. Three bogeys on the back nine resulted in a 72 (E) for Pelaez, who ranks first among Gamecocks this week with seven birdies.

Isidora Nilsson recorded a back-nine 35 (-1) on the way to a 73 (+1) in round two. She tallied a birdie on the par-5 13th before adding another one on No. 17, and the sophomore will head into the final round in a tie for 34th place at 4-over 148.

Junior Ainhoa Olarra and sophomore Marion Veysseyre each posted a 75 (+3) on Saturday. Olarra (T13, E), who began the day in a tie for fourth following her opening-round 69 (-3), registered her lone bogey of the round on the par-3 fifth and tallied pars on each of her final seven holes. Veysseyre added two birdies of her own to go along with 12 pars. The Lachapelle-Auzac, France, native currently sits in 47th place at 6-over 150 for the tournament. Senior Jia Xin Yang, who is competing as an individual this week, is tied for 54th at 7-over 151 through two days.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 21 Wake Forest sit atop the leaderboard at 7-under (569) through two days of action. No. 23 Ohio State (570, -6) occupies the third spot, while Jennifer Kupcho of the Demon Deacons fired a 68 (-4) Saturday to extend her individual lead to three shots at 9-under 135.

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• Ana Pelaez’s 72 (E) was the freshman’s first round of par or better for the Gamecocks
• Senior Katelyn Dambaugh’s 27 pars through two rounds are the fifth-highest total among golfers in the field.
• Marion Veysseyre sports a 2.75 par-3 scoring average at the Tar Heel Invitational, good for the third-best mark at Finley Golf Course.
• South Carolina’s 121 pars are tied with NC State and Wake Forest for the third-most in the field.

Up Next

South Carolina concludes play at the Tar Heel Invitational Sunday. The third round will feature a shotgun start at 9:15 a.m., and the Gamecocks will be paired with Tennessee and North Carolina.