Fall Wrap-Up | South Carolina Women's Golf

Dec. 4, 2017

Overview
South Carolina women’s golf enjoyed a successful opening half of the 2017-18 season this fall, collecting a pair of top-five finishes and placing inside the top-10 in each of its four events.

The Gamecocks climbed into the top-10 in the Golfweek (No.6) and Golfstat (No.7) polls after closing the fall with back-to-back top-five finishes. Carolina placed third at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational (Oct. 13-15) with a program-record 846 (-18) before grabbing fourth-place honors at the Landfall Tradition (Oct. 27-28). The Gamecocks shot par or better in seven of their 11 rounds and ended the fall ranked fifth among Division I schools in par-4 (4.08) and par-3 (3.05) scoring average.

Senior standout Ainhoa Olarra paced Carolina with a 70.82 stroke average in the fall. The San Sebastian, Spain, native shot par or better in eight of her 11 rounds and notched runner-up honors at the Tar Heel Invitational after totaling the second-lowest 54-hole mark (205, -11) in school history. Sophomore transfer Lois Kaye Go, who finished par or better in three events, collected two top-20 finishes in a stretch highlighted by an 11^th-place showing at the Tar Heel Invitational.

Second-year golfer Anita Uwadia finished inside the top-25 at the Mason Rudolph Championship (T22, -3) and ANNIKA Intercollegiate (T18 +2) and ended the fall with a 72.64 scoring average. Junior Marion Veysseyre and sophomore Ana Pelaez marked the other two Gamecocks to compete for Carolina this fall. Veysseyre posted a career-best 214 (-2) at the Tar Heel Invitational en route to a 23rd-place showing, while Pelaez closed her fall with a top-25 showing (T23) at the Landfall Tradition.

From The Coach
“I thought we had an excellent fall season. We were very consistent. We had a good solid tournament at the Mason Rudolph Championship, and it was a consistent start to the fall. The team raised the bar each and every week. They stepped up, and I was very proud of that. They figured out how to get better every day and every week, and they didn’t stop. They have excellent chemistry on and off the course, and they balance each other very well. It’s a very fun and energetic group. There are no limits with this group if we continue our process. We have a group that’s really motivated, and the spring can be very exciting for us.” ââ’¬” South Carolina women’s golf coach Kalen Anderson

Individual Fall Highlights
Ainhoa Olarra | Senior | San Sebastian, Spain
– Ranked 21st in NCAA Division I with a team-best 70.82 stroke average
– Shot par or better in each of her last five rounds of the fall
– Grabbed a pair of top-five finishes, including runner-up honors at the Tar Heel Invitational

Anderson on Olarra
“She has been our solid and consistent leader. Her game has just led us on and off the course. She is so consistent for us ââ’¬” it seems like she is under-par all the time. Ainhoa is dependable, and she’s a class-act player. I am really proud of her and her leadership.”

Lois Kaye Go | Sophomore | Cebu City, Philippines
– Shot par or better in seven of her 11 rounds during the fall
– Posted the 14th-lowest individual 54-hole total (210, -6) in school history at the Tar Heel Invitational
– Finished under par in each of her first three events of the fall

Anderson on Go
“Lois (Kaye) has made a huge impact this fall after she signed with us in June. She has come into a new program and adjusted very well. Not a lot bothers her ââ’¬” she can make a nine or an eagle, and she’s going to have the same response. She just goes out and gets the job done. It doesn’t matter how it’s going, she posts a solid score.”

Anita Uwadia | Sophomore | Okoko, Nigeria
– Ranked third on the team in rounds of par or better (6) and stroke average (72.64)
– Posted a 3-under 213 in Carolina’s fall opener at the Mason Rudolph Championship
– Was one of three Gamecocks to earn a top-20 finish in the fall (T18, ANNIKA Intercollegiate

Anderson on Uwadia
“Anita came back as a sophomore with a lot more maturity and experience. She has grown tremendously on and off the course. She’s still learning, but she is just a whole different player in terms of her confidence. Anita has the ability to shoot some really low numbers, and she collected a couple of top-20 finishes earlier this fall. She is only going to get better and better.”

Ana Pelaez | Sophomore | Malaga, Spain
– Broke par in back-to-back rounds at the Mason Rudolph Championship to finish at 2-under 214
– Totaled three rounds of par or better in the fall
– Earned her highest finish (T23) of the fall in Carolina’s last tournament of 2017, the Landfall Tradition

Anderson on Pelaez
“Ana did not have her most consistent fall, but she was so tough. She battled a lot of swing issues, and she grinded out a lot of rounds. Ana is a true competitor, and we’re going to see a lot of low numbers from her once she gets her swing and confidence back. She is so experienced and so capable, and she’ll have a significant impact in the spring.”

Marion Veysseyre | Junior | Lachapelle-Auzac, France
– Posted a 74.00 scoring average this fall
– Shot a career-low 214 (-2) at the Tar Heel Invitational to finish tied for 23rd
– Broke par in four of final five rounds of the fall

Anderson on Veysseyre
“Marion is a gritty competitor ââ’¬” she’s feisty, and she’s had some really big rounds for us. She had a great tournament at the Tar Heel Invitational, and she was under-par at the Landfall Tradition. Marion works really hard, and she is dedicated to working on her swing. I know she’ll be ready to go in the spring.”