No. 3 Gamecocks Go Low, Punch Ticket to NCAA Championship

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — No. 3 South Carolina went low and shot 282 (-6) on Wednesday to punch its ticket to the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship (May 20-25) at Grayhawk Golf Club next week. The top-seeded Gamecocks got 17 birdies and an eagle from the team’s four counting scores today at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
 
“Every player stepped up today,” said head coach Kalen Anderson. “Great teams are resilient – they know how to win and also know how to dig themselves out of holes. We’ve done both all year. Looking forward to heading to the National Championship with this group!”  
 
It marks the 10^th NCAA Championship appearance in 15 seasons under Anderson. The program had appeared in the NCAA Championship a total of eight times since 1980 before she took over as head coach in the spring of 2008. First round action gets underway on Friday (May 20) next week in Scottsdale.
 
Carolina’s talented freshmen duo of Hannah Darling and Lousie Rydqvist each finished in the top-10 in their NCAA Regional debuts. Darling took fifth with a 54-hole total of 216 (E). She shot 70 (-2) with six birdies today. It’s Darling’s fifth top-five in 10 starts this season, which is the most in program history by a freshman and tied for the fourth most top-fives in a single season overall. Her team-best 72.65 scoring average is the second lowest in program history by a freshman, trailing only First Team All-American Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, who is currently playing on the LPGA. Rydqvist T-6^th at 2-over for the tournament. She closed with a final round 73 (+1) in notching her second-straight top-10 finish (fourth this season).
 
Junior transfer Justine Fournand skyrocketed 26-spots up the leaderboard, leading the team with a final round 68 (-4). She made four birdies and an eagle at the par-5 14^th hole. Fournand T-18^th at 7-over for the tournament, her fourth top-20 of the season.
 
Graduate senior Tai Anudit also closed strong with a final round 71 (-1) today that featured four red numbers on her scorecard. She T-21^st at 8-over through 54-holes. Junior Mathilde Claisse shot 74 (+2). She played solid and was 2-under through 14 holes but had a couple late bogeys coming in that pushed her score above par.
 
The Gamecocks tied for the field lead this week in par-5 scoring average at 12-under (4.80). Darling led the field in par-5 average at 8-under (4.33). The team made 43 birdies overall in 54-holes at Seminole Legacy Golf Club, led by Darling (11) and Rydqvist (10).
 
2022 Tallahassee Regional R3 Leaderboard
1. No. 16 Florida State – 860 (-4)
T2. No. 3 South Carolina – 877 (+13)
T2. No. 10 UCLA – 877 (+13)
4. No. 34 Mississippi State – 891 (+27)
— top-four advance to 2022 NCAA Championship at Grayhawk —
5. No. 39 Miami – 896 (+32)
9. No. 22 Ole Miss – 899 (+35)  
6. Georgia Southern – 903 (+39)
T7. No. 49 North Florida – 907 (+43)
T7. No. 26 Illinois – 910 (+46)
11. College of Charleston – 914 (+50)
10. No. 46 Denver – 915 (+51)  
12. Quinnipiac – 929 (+65)
 
2022 Tallahassee Regional Gamecock R3 Leaderboard
5. Hannah Darling – 216 (E)
T6. Louise Rydqvist – 218 (+2)
T18. Justine Fournand – 223 (+7)
T21. Tai Anudit – 224 (+8)
T38. Mathilde Claisse – 230 (+14)
 
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