Women’s Golf Reaches SEC Championship Match

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In rainy and blistery conditions, No. 11 South Carolina women’s golf defeated Mississippi State and Auburn to reach the 2019 SEC Women’s Golf Championship match that will take place on Sunday morning at Greystone Golf and Country Club. The championship match appearance is the second-straight for the Gamecocks.
 
“We’re pretty excited,” South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson said. “[The semifinal] was a great match, Auburn played so well. We fought so strong, and we’re really happy to be back in the finals.”
 
“This was our goal to be back in this position,” Anderson added. “I think we have a lot to prove and the experience with having been there is just going to help a lot. We’re really focused and ready to go tomorrow.”
 
Junior Lois Kaye Go was able to clinch the Gamecocks’ semifinal victory over Auburn on the par-4 14th, hitting a par putt to take down No. 4 Julie McCarthy. Also picking up victories in the semifinals was freshman Emily Price and junior Anita Uwadia.
 
Carolina will be looking to win its first SEC Championship since 2002 when the Gamecocks were led by Kristy McPherson, who also won the individual title that year.
 
MISSISSIPPI STATE MATCH
The clutch was a gene that Emily Price flexed during Carolina’s first match of the day. The freshman, and No. 11 ranked individual in the country, was all square with Aubree Jones of Mississippi State with two holes to go. Price stuck a tee shot on the par-3 17th to take a 1-UP lead into 18, and then stuck her approach shot from about 100 yards out to tap in another birdie putt and the first point of the day.
 
Just moments later Ana Pelaez gave the Gamecocks a 2-0 lead by tying her opponent, Lauren Miller, on the par-3 17th, giving her the 2&1 victory. The match between the two was close throughout, neither held more than a two-hole advantage throughout the entire match. With the match all-square with five holes to go, Pelaez took advantage of back-to-back bogeys from Miller to take a two-hole lead and eventually locked up the second team point for Carolina.
 
About 30 minutes later on the same hole, Anita Uwadia clinched the match for the Gamecocks by halving the hole with her opponent, Hannah Levi. Uwadia never trailed in the match, and extended her streak of not trailing in a match-play event to 54-holes.
 
As the match was clinched, senior Marion Veysseyre clinched her match as well, finishing up a fourth Carolina win 4&3 on the par-4 15th. Veysseyre took control early in the match by staying patient. She picked up a two-hole lead with pars on the opening two holes before extending to as much as five.
 
Lastly, Lois Kaye Go finished her match all-square, not having to extend the match because the team score had already been determined.
 
AUBURN MATCH
Although it was a different match, it was the same dominant Emily Price. The reigning SEC Freshman of the Week never trailed against Elena Hualde, and did her biggest damage on the back nine. Birdies on the par-5 11th and par-3 13th extended her lead to four holes before she clinched the match on the par-4 15th with her third birdie of the back nine.
 
Just 15 minutes later it was Uwadia who was matched up with Kaleigh Telfer of Auburn. Uwadia fell behind early, but never trailed by more than a hole before taking back-to-back holes on the back nine, including a birdie on the par-3 13th. She took the point for Carolina with a par on the par-3 17th, extending the lead to 2-0.
 
After being forced to match up with the fourth-ranked individual in the country, junior Lois Kaye Go put her head down and went to work. The recently named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year never trailed in the match after taking the early lead with a birdie on the par-4 1st and then exploded on the back nine. She won four-straight holes, registering three birdies in a row to and one par to claim the victory for the Gamecocks in stunning fashion.
 
In the remaining matches, Veysseyre finished all-square with Mychael O’Berry and Ana Pelaez fell to Brooke Sansom 3&3, with the hole being suspended due to Carolina winning the match via Go.
 
UP NEXT
No. 8 seed Ole Miss and No. 5 seed Georgia were unable to finish their semifinal match due to darkness, forcing them to resume play on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. ET from the No. 17  and No. 18 tee. The two teams are tied 2-2-1, with one match all-square going into hole No. 18 and Georgia leading the other match 2-UP with two holes to go. The Gamecocks will face the winner shortly after the conclusion of the match, with coverage presented by SEC Network starting at 8:30 a.m. ET.
 
Make sure to follow along on Twitter and Instagram (@GamecockWGolf) and on Facebook to stay up to date with the Gamecocks.
 
AGATE SCORES
South Carolina 4, Mississippi State 0, All-Square 1
Emily Price (SC) def. Aubree Jones (MSU), 2-UP
Ana Pelaez (SC) def. Lauren Miller (MSU), 2&1
Lois Kaye Go (SC) all-square vs. Hannah Levi (MSU)
Anita Uwadia (SC) def. Ela Grimwood (MSU), 2&1
Marion Veysseyre (SC) def. Blaire Stockett (MSU), 4&3
 
South Carolina 3, Auburn 1, All-Square 1
Anita Uwadia (SC) def. Kaleigh Telfer (AU), 3&1
Emily Price (SC) def. Elena Hualde (AU), 4&3
Brooke Sansom (AU) def. Ana Pelaez (SC), 3&3
Lois Kaye Go (SC) def. Julie McCarthy (AU), 5&4
Marion Veysseyre (SC) all-square vs. Mychael O’Berry (AU)