Gamecocks Open NCAA Championship Friday

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  –  The University of South Carolina women’s golf team opens play in the NCAA Championship, set for May 21-26, at Grayhawk Golf Club on Friday. 

The Field

24 teams qualified for the NCAA Championship including South Carolina, Florida State, Texas, UCLA, Auburn, Michigan State, LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland, Alabama, Georgia, Duke, Arizona State, Kentucky, Michigan, Kent State, Stanford, Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Arizona and Southern California, along with 12 individuals. 

The Tournament

Grayhawk Golf Club plays as a par-72 at 6,384 yards for the NCAA Championship. The tournament gets underway with all 24 teams playing three rounds of stroke play on Friday-Sunday, with the top 15 teams advancing to a final round of stroke play on Monday. The top eight teams from that final round of stroke play are seeded for the match play portion of the tournament, with the quarterfinal and semifinal matches set for Tuesday, and the championship match on Wednesday.

NCAA Championship Lineup

Ana Pelaez (Sr.)

• Led the way for the Gamecocks in the NCAA Louisville Regional, tying for 12th with a 1-over (217)
• Made the cut for the final ANNIKA Award Watch List
• Named All-SEC First Team on May 7, her third All-SEC honor
• Broke the SEC Championship record for lowest round with her opening round 8-under (64), eventually finishing tied 10th
• Made the cut at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing 12th 
• Took second at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic with a 2-under 214 score, her second consecutive runner-up finish
• Notched a new career best score with her 10-under 206 at the Valspar Augusta Invitational, tying for second and helping secure the team win 
• Made her season debut at the Moon Golf Invitational, tying for third with an 8-under 208, tying her career low for a 54-hole tournament
• Holds the third lowest career scoring average in program history (73.27)
• Currently ranked No. 15 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking

Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (So.)

• Shot the team low in the final round of the NCAA Louisville Regional, and eagled her playoff hole to secure Carolina’s spot at the NCAA Championship
• Made the cut for the final ANNIKA Award Watch List
• Named the SEC Player of the Year on May 7, becoming the third Gamecock to win the award… also earned All-SEC First Team honors for the second year in a row
• Won the SEC Championship with a 17-under (199), the lowest score in SEC Championship history, on April 16
• Has a program record four tournament wins this season, with all four final scores comprising the four lowest 54-hole scores in program history
• Tied for third at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing one stroke away from the playoff for first place
• Currently ranked No. 4 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking

Mathilde Claisse (So.) 

• Notched her first top-10 finish as a Gamecock at the SEC Championship, carding a 10-under (206), her lowest score as a Gamecock as well
• Bounced back after a rough opening round at the Moon Golf Invitational to shoot a 2-under 70 in the second round and a 1-under 71 in the final round to help clinch the victory
• Won both of her match play matchups at the East Lake Cup
• Played in every tournament for the Gamecocks as a freshman in 2019-20
• Notched the fifth-lowest freshman scoring average in program history (73.88)

Lois Kaye Go (Sr.)

• Named All-SEC Second Team on May 7, her third All-SEC honor
• Tabbed as the SEC Golfer of the Week on March 10
• Notched her best finish as a Gamecock by taking second at the Gamecock Intercollegiate with a 4-under 212 after carding back-to-back 3-under 69 scores in the first two rounds
• Holds the second lowest career scoring average in program history (72.80)
• Helped the Gamecocks secure the win at the Moon Golf Invitational with a 2-under 70 in the first round and an even par 72 in the final round
• Earned All-America honors each of the last three seasons

Paula Kirner (Fr.)

• Earned her first All-SEC honor, being named to the All-SEC Freshman Team on May 7
• Continued to show improvement, finishing with a 1-under 215 at the Valspar Augusta Invitational, her best score and finish (T17) as a Gamecock
• Named SEC Freshman of the Week on March 10
• Had her best tournament so far, shooting and opening round 70 and finishing with an even par 72 to earn a 20th place finish at the Gamecock Intercollegiate
• Played in all three tournaments for the Gamecocks in the fall
• Notched her then best round as a Gamecock with her 1-under 71 in the opening round at The Ally back in October

Follow the Action

The final round of stroke play on Monday, along with all rounds of match play, will be live on Golf Channel. Live Scoring can be found HERE, and coverage will be on our Twitter and Instagram channels as well.