Roussin-Bouchard Wins SEC Championship with Historic Performance

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  –  South Carolina women’s golf sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard joined rarified company on Friday, securing the individual SEC Championship with a record-breaking score of 17-under (199) on Friday at Greystone Golf & Country Club. 

Roussin-Bouchard entered the morning with a two-stroke lead but could not put much breathing room between her and the competition. Through her front nine the sophomore sank four birdies to sit at 4-under at the turn, but in a crowded and competitive pack her lead remained at two strokes. After a birdie on 11 Roussin-Bouchard had her only stumble of the day with a bogey on hole No. 13, allowing her lead to shrink to one before sinking a birdie on 15 to push the lead back to two. Roussin-Bouchard saw her lead go back to one stroke nearing the final holes as LSU’s Ingrid Linblad surged up the leaderboard, but as the sophomore approached the tee on 18 all she needed was par to clinch the title. Instead of going the safe route Roussin-Bouchard notched her first eagle of the tournament to end the day at 7-under (65), and the tournament at 17-under (199), to clinch the SEC Championship. 

The sophomore broke multiple records with her win…

• Lowest SEC Championship 54-hole score: -17 (199)
• Lowest 54-hole score in South Carolina history: -17 (199)
• Lowest two-round total in a SEC Championship: -10 (134)
• Most top-5 finishes in a South Carolina season: Eight

Roussin-Bouchard becomes the fourth different Gamecock to win the SEC Championship, joining two-time champion Kristy McPherson (2001 & 2002), Katelyn Dambaugh (2017) and Ainhoa Olarra (2018). 

Sophomore Mathilde Claisse earned her best finish as a Gamecock, taking eighth with a 10-under (206) for the stroke play event. Claisse continued her stellar work on the week, carding a 1-under on the front nine before sinking birdies on 12 and 18 to finish the day at 3-under to secure her best score and finish in the Garnet and Black. 

Senior Ana Pelaez continued to be vital to Carolina’s success, shaking off an early triple bogey to card birdies on holes seven and eight to get back to even before the turn. Pelaez played steady on her back nine, sinking a birdie on 13 on her way to a 1-under (71) on the day and an 8-under (208), tied for 10th. The senior has not finished worse than 10th this season. 

Freshman Paula Kirner finished her first SEC Championship stroke play strong, notching a 2-under (70) while senior Lois Kaye Go matched Kirner, carding a 2-under (70) as well. 

Roussin-Bouchard was not alone in breaking records with her stroke play performance, however. The Gamecocks finished the 54-holes of stroke play with a 37-under (827), the lowest 54-hole score in program history, eclipsing the previous record set at the 2021 Valspar Augusta Invitational. 

The Gamecocks earned the No. 2 seed for the match play portion of the championship where they’ll face the No. 7 seed Alabama Crimson Tide in the quarterfinals. Action in that matchup gets started at 8 a.m. ET and should the Garnet and Black advance they’ll have another matchup in the afternoon.
 

2021 SEC Championship Leaderboard – Stroke Play Final

1. LSU – 818 (-46)
2. South Carolina – 827 (-37)
3. Auburn – 839 (-25)
4. Ole Miss – 843 (-21)
T5. Mississippi State – 849 (-15)
T5. Vanderbilt – 849 (-15)
7. Alabama – 850 (-14)
8. Arkansas – 852 (-12)
T9. Tennessee – 853 (-11)
T9. Florida – 853 (-11)
11. Texas A&M – 864 (E)
12. Kentucky – 865 (+1)
13. Missouri – 875 (+11)
14. Georgia – 882 (+18)

Gamecock Leaderboard

1. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard – 199 (-17)
8. Mathilde Claisse – 206 (-10)
T10. Ana Pelaez – 208 (-8)
T51. Paula Kirner – 218 (+2)
T57. Lois Kaye Go – 221 (+5)