[SIZE= 28px]No. 1 Gamecocks Ready For SEC Championship[/SIZE]
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 1 University of South Carolina women's golf team starts its postseason at the SEC Championship set for April 14-18 at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala.
The Tournament
The SEC Championship begins with three rounds of stroke play on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the teams finishing 1-8 moving into a match play tournament starting on Saturday. The quarterfinals of the match play tournament begin Saturday morning, and the semifinal will take place Saturday afternoon. The top two advancing teams will play for the SEC Championship on Sunday morning with the championship round set to begin at 8:30 a.m. ET, airing live on the SEC Network.
The Course
The Legacy course at Greystone Golf & Country Club plays as a par-72 at 6,253 yards. Greystone has hosted the SEC Championship seven times, with it being played on the Legacy course every year since 2015.
Last Time Out for Carolina
South Carolina closed out the regular season with a win at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, giving Carolina a program record fourth win on the season. Senior Ana Pelaez led the way with a 2-under for the tournament, clinching her second runner-up finish in a row. Sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard tied for third, using her final round 2-under 70 to boost the Gamecocks to victory.
SEC Championship Lineup – Lineup can change when match play starts, these six traveled to the championship
Ana Pelaez (Sr.)
- 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
- Named to the latest ANNIKA Award Watch List on March 12
- Rallied from a sluggish opening round at the Gamecock Intercollegiate to card a 1-under 71 in the second round and a 2-under 70 in the final round on her way to a sixth-place finish
- 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
- Notched three top-3 finishes in European competition before returning to Columbia for the final half of her senior season
- Currently ranked No. 14 in the women's World Amateur Golf Ranking
- Earned All-America honors in 2020 and 2017
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (So.)
- Tied for third at the Augusta National Women's Amateur, finishing one stroke back of the sudden death playoff
- Clinched her fourth top-5 finish of the season, taking third, at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, shooting a 2-under 70 in the final round to help clinch the team's fourth win of the season
- Earned co-SEC Golfer of the Week on March 24
- Won her third tournament of the season, and fourth of her career, shooting a program record 15-under 201 at the Valspar August Invitational on March 13-14
- Named to the latest ANNIKA Award Watch List on March 12
- Selected as SEC Golfer of the Week on Feb. 17
- Currently ranked No. 3 in the women's World Amateur Golf Ranking
- Has nine top-10 finishes so far as a Gamecock
- Earned WGCA and Golfweek First Team All-America honors as a freshman
Lois Kaye Go (Sr.)
- Named 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 lowest career scoring average in program history (72.59)
- 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
Mathilde Claisse (So.)
- 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)
Paula Kirner (Fr.)
- Competed in the 2021 Augusta National Women's Amateur
- 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
Pimnipa Panthong (Sr.)
- Competed in the 2021 Augusta National Women's Amateur
- Recovered from a stumble in the opening round at the Moon Golf Invitational to go 1-under in the second round and even par in the final round, helping to earn the team win
- Finished third at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational to open the season
- Currently ranked No. 68 in the women's World Amateur Golf Ranking
- Three-time All-American and Two-time MAC Player of the Year at Kent State
Follow the Action
Live Scoring can be found HERE, and coverage will be on our Twitter and Instagram channels as well.
https://gamecocksonline.com/news/2021/4/13/womens-golf-no-1-gamecocks-ready-for-sec-championship.aspx
