Women's Golf . April 22, 2018

Gamecocks Collect Runner-Up Honors At SEC Championship

April 22, 2018

No. 9 Women’s Golf at SEC Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – South Carolina women’s golf collected runner-up honors at the SEC Championship after falling to Arkansas 3-2 in the match play finals Sunday at Greystone Country Club.

The championship match between the top-seeded Gamecocks and third-seeded Arkansas came down to the 18th hole, where Razorback junior Kaylee Benton recorded a par to defeat Carolina’s Ainhoa Olarra 1-up and secure the conference title for her team.

Arkansas notched the first point of the day when junior Maria Fassi registered a 2&1 victory over Gamecock sophomore Anita Uwadia. Uwadia cut the deficit to 2-down with a birdie on No. 7, but the Newcastle, United Kingdom, native was unable to get any closer the rest of the way.

Carolina grabbed its first point in the second match of the day after Gamecock junior Marion Veysseyre took down Razorback Cara Gorlei 2-up. Veysseyre built a 2-up advantage after three holes, and she stretched her lead to 3-up when Gorlei suffered a bogey on No. 11. The Lachapelle-Auzac, France, native took a 1-up lead into the final hole of the match before notching the 2-up win after Gorlei carded another bogey on No. 18.

Fellow sophomore Ana Pelaez marked the other Gamecock to tally a point Sunday, as she won on the 19th hole of her match against Arkansas’ Alana Uriell. Pelaez rallied from 2-down, making a par on No. 14 to cut the deficit to 1-down before squaring the match on No. 17 with a great tee shot that led to a three-foot birdie putt. The Malaga, Spain, native’s par on No. 1 clinched the point against Uriell, who suffered a bogey after three-putting on the green.

The other match from Sunday ended with Razorback junior Dylan Kim taking down Carolina sophomore Lois Kaye Go 2&1. Go trailed by two for much of the match before notching a birdie on No. 14 to cut Kim’s lead to 1-up. Kim pushed her lead back to 2-up on No. 15 after Go made a bogey, and she won the match with a par on No. 17.

Pelaez boasted a 3-0 mark in match play at the SEC Championship, while Veysseyre (2-0-1) also finished the weekend unbeaten. Uwadia picked up two match play victories for the tournament, ending with a mark of 2-1-0.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS

Championship Match vs. Arkansas

1. Maria Fassi (Arkansas) defeats Anita Uwadia (Carolina), 2&1

2. Marion Veysseyre (Carolina) defeats Cara Gorlei (Arkansas), 2-up

3. Ana Pelaez (Carolina) defeats Alana Uriell (Arkansas) on the 19th hole

4. Kaylee Benson (Arkansas) defeats Ainhoa Olarra (Carolina), 1-up

5. Dylan Kim (Arkansas) defeats Lois Kaye Go (Carolina), 2&1

QUOTING COACH Kalen Anderson

“It came down to the wire — it could of gone either way. It was looking a little bleak coming in, and the team rallied and made it close. It came down to the last hole. Ainhoa hit a great shot into 18, and it released a little bit on the firm green. She had a great putt and forced the Arkansas girl to two-putt. Her opponent was solid all day. It was a great match, and we ended up losing by just a hole. This week was a big confidence boost, and we need to take this momentum into NCAA Regionals.”

UP NEXT

South Carolina resumes postseason play next month at the NCAA Regionals, set for May 7-9. This year’s regional sites are Tallahassee, Fla., Austin, Texas, Madison, Wis., and San Francisco, Calif. The Gamecocks will learn their regional fate during the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Selection Show, which will air on Golf Channel on Wed., Apr. 25, at 5:30 p.m. ET.