Gamecocks Capture Stephens Cup Title
Mario Terrana
DALLAS, Texas (Sept. 16, 2026) – No. 15/10 South Carolina women’s golf toppled No. 6/7 Wake Forest by the score of 3-2 in the championship match of the Stephens Cup on Wednesday at PGA Frisco in Dallas, Texas. This was South Carolina’s second appearance in the championship match and the first Stephens Cup title for the program. The win today marks the 49th team title in program history and the 33rd under the direction of head coach Kalen Anderson.
The Gamecocks are heading home with the hardware following wins from senior Vairana Heck, freshman Amelia Harris and sophomore Molly McLean.
Heck put Carolina on the board first in her match, winning 6&4. The France senior was 1-down through the first three holes before rattling off four consecutive wins to quickly change the odds in her favor with the 3-up advantage. Wake Forest’s Havanna Torstensson pulled within two after hole No. 10, but once again Heck pushed ahead with four consecutive wins. The veteran golfer needed just one putt on No. 14 to slam the door shut with a birdie to give the Gamecocks the early 1-0 lead.
Immediately following the first point, South Carolina’s Harris doubled the Garnet & Black advantage to 2-0. Harris, a freshman for Carolina, squared off against two-time Stephens Cup individual champion Macy Pate and never trailed in the match. The Australia native needed just two holes to take the early lead, one that she would not relinquish. Harris’s largest lead was 2-up but she was able to keep Pate at arm’s length, never allowing her to draw even. Needing to tie Pate’s score on No. 18 for the win, Harris stepped up to the challenge and jammed a pressure-par putt home after watching Pate do the same, clinching the 1-up victory and pulling South Carolina to within just one point of the team championship.
Wake Forest cut the South Carolina lead in half when Chloe Kovelesky won 6&5 over Eila Galitsky.
McLean put to rest any hope of a comeback by the Demon Deacons, besting Benedicte Brent-Petersen in her match, 3&1. Despite facing a 2-down deficit through the first three holes, the Australia native battled by winning three of the next six holes to take a 1-up advantage at the turn. McLean extended her lead to 3-up through 14 holes, but Brent-Petersen would not go quietly, winning the next two holes to trim McLean’s lead to 1-up with four to play. However, the sophomore golfer responded with back-to-back wins, including a conceded putt on No. 17, to secure the first Stephens Cup title in Gamecock history.
The Gamecocks will return to competition on Friday, Oct. 9 – Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Evie Odom Invitational in Virginia Beach, Va. The event will be played at Princess Anne Country Club.
2026 Stephens Cup Championship Match Results
Amelia Harris (SC) def. Macy Pate (WF), 1up
Molly McLean (SC) def. Benedicte Brent-Petersen (WF), 3&1
Vairana Heck (SC) def. Havanna Torstensson (WF), 6&4
Vidhi Lakhawala (WF) def. Alicia Olsson (SC), 4up
Chloe Kovelesky (WF) def. Eila Galitsky (SC), 6&5
