The Gamecocks’ quest for a golf national championship begins
South Carolina’s top-ranked women’s golf team heads into the NCAA national playoffs in the “team-to-beat” role, and the Gamecocks do not shy away from the challenge.
“We have a big bull’s-eye on our backs, and that’s exciting,” coach Kalen Anderson said. “That’s what you shoot for.”
Indeed, the Gamecocks have developed into one of the nation’s premier programs in their 14 years under Anderson, and this is the best yet. “A phenomenal season,” the coach said, citing four wins, two seconds and two thirds in eight stroke-play tournaments.
Now, the quest for the big prize — the national championship — begins.
In one of four qualifying tournaments, Carolina opens play in the 18-team Louisville Regional on May 10 at the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky. The top six in each regional advance to the national championship, set for May 21-26 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“This (No. 1 national seed) is what we’ve worked for, but the slate is wiped clean and now it’s an equal playing ground,” Anderson said. “Obviously, we want to advance (to the nationals), and we also want to play our best.”
Anchored by the top two players in the Golfstat.com poll of individual players — No. 1 Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and No. 2 Ana Pelaez — the Gamecocks’ best has set multiple program records. Roussin-Bouchard owns four individual titles, and she shattered school and tournament records in winning the SEC individual championship at 17-under-par 199. Pelaez, with two seconds, has finished in the top 10 in each of her five tournaments.
“Pauline and Ana obviously have been really good,” Anderson said. “Plus, we have experience and depth behind them. The maturity and experience make for a great combination.”
Seniors Lois Kaye Go and Pimnipa Panthong have earned All-American honors during their careers, sophomore Mathilde Claisse placed in the top-10 in the SEC and freshman Paula Kirner has been ranked in the top 50 in the women’s world amateur rankings.
Based on the SEC tourney performance, Roussin-Bouchard, Pelaez and Claisse will take the top three spots in the regional lineup.
“Pauline and Ana have been consistently outstanding, and Mathilde played well in Birmingham and is starting the peak,” Anderson said. “We’re looking for more consistency at the bottom of the lineup, and I believe we’ll get it.
“You want your team to build to be playing its best at (national) tournament time, and we’re getting there. I’m not sure of the rotation yet; we’ll take six players and can use five each day. We’ll get it figured out.”
The University of Louisville Golf Club course has bent grass, which will be new to the Gamecocks this season. However, Anderson noted that her European players are familiar with surface.
“We will go up a day early and get acclimated to the grasses,” she said. “There nowhere near here with bent like we will see in Kentucky. One thing I’ve learned about the golf course is that it’s one that does a good job of separating the teams.”
Carolina finished an amazing 37-under-par for three rounds in the SEC — and finished second. In the match-play portion of the tournament, designed to emulate the national finals, the Gamecocks lost to seventh-seeded Alabama.
“That’s just golf, match-play golf,” Anderson said. “That’s one of those things; they put like 20 birdies on us” in winning 3-1-1. “A hot team can do that.”
Case in point: in the PGA Tour’s match-play event, only one of the top 16 seeded players advanced to the quarterfinals.
It’s back to stroke-play for the regional and the start of the nationals, and Anderson looks ahead with confidence.
“Super-excited,” she said. “We’re where we want to be.”
Chip shots. Clemson’s men captured the Atlantic Coast Conference title, climbed to No. 3 in the Golfstat.com poll and likely secured a top seed in an NCAA Regional. The Tigers have won four of seven tournaments this season, including three straight. ... USC’s men qualified for match-play in the SEC tourney and await Tuesday’s announcement on an NCAA Regional spot. ... Clemson and Coastal Carolina will play in the women’s Columbus, Ohio Regional at Ohio State. ... College of Charleston will play in the women’s Louisville Regional, and competing as individuals in Louisville will be the Furman trio of Anna Morgan, Sarah-Eve Rheaume and Madison Moosa, and Beem Pabsimma (USC Upstate). ... In Thursday’s local qualifying for the U.S. Open, USC golfer Ryan Hall and Orangeburg pro Marion Dantzler earned spots in the sectionals. Also advancing: pro Kyle Westmoreland (Mt. Pleasant), USC Upstate golfer Hunter Fry (Dacula, Georgia) and pro Emmanuel Kountakis (Augusta, Georgia). USC signee Gene Zeigler (Florence) is first alternate.