USC climbs to sixth place in NCAA tournament
Junior Ainhoa Olarra matched the day’s best score in the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship on Sunday and led South Carolina’s Gamecocks into position to advance into match play, the format that determines the national champion.
With the weather cancellation of Saturday’s round, the stroke-play competition has been reduced to 54 holes, and the low eight teams after today’s third round advance to match play that begins Tuesday.
After Sunday’s 12-over-par 300, the fourth best team score of the day over the Rich Harvest Farms course near Chicago, the Gamecocks climbed to sixth place. Carolina, No. 11 in the national polls, is six strokes under the cutline and four shots out of third place.
Furman, No. 9 in the polls, bounced back from its 35-over-par opening round with a 14-over Sunday and moved into a tie for 14th, six strokes over the cutline. Clemson shot 24-over Sunday and, at 57 over, is tied for 17th.
Olarra posted a 70 on Sunday and moved into a tie for third place among individuals at 2-over-par 146. Freshman Ana Pelaez shot 4-over 76 on Sunday and shares 14th place individually at 151. All-American Katelyn Dambaugh saw her round spoiled by a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 17th hole and posted a 78. Freshman Anita Uwadia, in her first post-season tournament, rebounded from an opening 94 with a 4-over 76 Sunday. Sophomore Marion Veysseyre had USC’s non-counting score, an 83.
Haylee Harford and Natalie Srinivasan posted 3-over 75s to lead Furman. Sydney Legacy, Alice Hewson and Marisa Messana had 6-over 78s for Clemson. Playing as an individual, College of Charleston’s Laura Fuenfstueck is tied for 24th at 153 after two rounds.
Northwestern matched the day’s best team score, 10 over par, and opened an eight-stroke lead over Kent State. Top-ranked Stanford is third, 10 shots back, followed by Ohio State (minus 11), Baylor (minus 12), South Carolina (minus 14), Southern California (minus 19) and Miami. (minus 20). Five teams are within three shots of eighth place.
The course took its toll on some highly ranked teams. No. 2 Alabama is 21st, 65 over par; No. 5 Florida State is 20th, 59 over par; and No. 8 Duke is 19th, 58 over par.
This story was originally published May 21, 2017 at 9:39 PM.