Feb. 10, 2017

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — South Carolina women’s golf opened its spring season on a torrid pace, carding an opening-round 278 (-10) to grab the 18-hole lead at the Florida State Match-Up Friday at the Don Veller Seminole Course. Freshman Ana Pelaez paced the No. 13 Gamecocks with a career-best 67 (-5), while sophomore Marion Veysseyre (69, -3), senior Katelyn Dambaugh (71, -1) and junior Ainhoa Olarra (71, -1) also finished under par.

Carolina will head into day two of the 54-hole event four strokes clear of the field. Host and fourth-ranked Florida State sits in second after opening with a 282 (-6), while No. 23 Texas A&M (286, -2) rounds out the top three. Pelaez is one shot off Aggie golfer Maddie Szeryk (66, -6) for the individual lead, and Veysseyre will head into round two in a tie for third. Dambaugh and Olarra are currently tied for 10th.

Pelaez registered six birdies on her day, opening her round with one on the par-5 10th. She added another one on No. 14 before making the turn at 2-under 34 following a birdie on the par-4 18th. The Malaga, Spain, native’s momentum carried over to the second nine, and she notched birdies on Nos. 1, 4 and 7 and recorded six pars after the turn to play her final nine holes at 3-under.

Veysseyre also kept her scorecard clean for most of the day. She birdied Nos. 10, 14 and 17 to post a front-nine 34 (-2) and birdies on two of her first four holes on the second nine helped keep the sophomore at 3-under for her round. Veysseyre was solid down the stretch with pars in each of her last five holes.

After shooting a 36 (E) on the front and recording bogeys on her first two holes after the turn, Dambaugh found her stroke down the stretch. She birdied the par-5 fourth before registering pars on her next three holes. The Goose Creek, S.C., native closed her round in style with birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to fire a back-nine 35 (-1) and finish the day under par.

Olarra also played her best after the turn with three birdies on the second nine. She shook off a pair of early bogeys and played her final 14 holes at 2-under with the help of birdies on Nos. 4 and 7 and No. 9, her final hole of the day.

Jia Xin Yang (T18th) opened her week with a 72 (E). Birdies on two of her last four holes of the front nine put her at 1-under 35 at the turn, and the senior added her third birdie of the day on the par-5 fourth.

Freshman Anita Uwadia, who is competing as an individual this week, posted a 78 (+6) in round one to end the day in a tie for 49th.

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• Carolina’s 278 (-10) Friday marked the third-lowest round in program history. The Gamecocks have shot three of the school’s six best rounds this season.
• Ana Pelaez’s 67 (-5) in round one matched the second-lowest score by a freshman in program history. Pelaez boasts four rounds of par or better in her first season with the Gamecocks.
• With a 3-under 69, sophomore Marion Veysseyre matched the best 18-hole score of her Carolina career.
• Carolina’s 22 birdies Friday led the field, and the Gamecocks also ranked first in par-3 scoring (3.00) and par-5 scoring (4.45).
• South Carolina was one of three schools to have two golfers card at least five birdies in round one.

Up Next

The Gamecocks are back on the course Saturday morning for the second round of the Florida State Match-Up. Carolina, which will be paired with Virginia, opens day two at 8:46 a.m.