South Carolina women’s golf team carries a No. 1 seed, confidence into NCAAs
After a strong fall season, South Carolina’s nationally ranked women’s golf team tied for seventh in their first tournament of the spring and shared last place Feb. 28 after the opening round of their second start.
Coach Kalen Anderson called a team meeting that evening at the USC-hosted Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Hilton Head Island’s Long Cove Club. The discussion worked wonders.
“The pivotal moment of the season,” Anderson said. “Our own tournament and we’re last (16 strokes from the lead). The final two rounds, we played to our standards, finished second against a national championship-quality field and got in position to challenge to win the tournament. That showed what we can do when we play with confidence.”
The resulting jolt of excitement provided a springboard to three consecutive tournament victories before the Gamecocks placed third, three shots out of first, in the stroke-play portion of the SEC Championship.
South Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Regional tournament that starts Monday in Tallahassee, Florida. The Gamecocks are ranked third nationally in the Golfstat poll.
It’s no surprise that Anderson feels good about her team headed into the competition that leads to the national title. Although replacing four players from the 2020-21 squad that spent much of the year ranked No. 1, the current Gamecocks set a school record with five tournament victories.
“Very balanced, (players) one through five, and we’re ready to get back on the golf course after final exams,” Anderson said. “We have depth, not just one or two players at the top. I’m really proud of how they have developed.”
Freshman Hannah Darling, ranked No. 12 in the women’s world amateur golf rankings, owns the team’s best scoring average, 72.7 shots per round.
But right behind are the other four regulars: freshman Louise Rydqvist (73.7), junior Mathilde Claisse (73.73), graduate Tai Anudit (74.0) and junior Justine Fournard (74.5). All five have posted multiple top-10 finishes individually, and sophomore Paula Kirner provides another quality piece to the puzzle.
“We obviously want to be playing our best golf this time of the year, and I think we will,” said Anderson, who took over the program in 2008 and has guided USC into the nationals in nine of the past 11 seasons. That stretch includes five regional championships.
The four top teams in each of six regionals will advance to the nationals May 20-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The format calls for four rounds of stroke play with the top eight advancing to the match-play portion that will crown the champion.
To that end, Anderson has prepared her squad with three match-play events on the schedule. In one, the Gamecocks swept to the title without Darling, who competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, in the lineup.
“A lot can happen this time of year,” Anderson said, no doubt remembering her No. 1 team a year ago needed a last-gasp rally in the regionals to advance, then finished the first round of the nationals in last place. The Gamecocks’ rally to make match play fell just short.
“We just need to keep playing like we have, with confidence, since that first round in Hilton Head. If we do that — be focused and do our job — we will be fine.”
Chip shots. Other state teams in the NCAA women’s Regionals include Clemson, No. 6 in Stillwater, Oklahoma; Furman, No. 8 in Stillwater’ and College of Charleston, No. 10 in Tallahassee. ... The South Carolina men’s golf team will be the No. 4 seed in the Norman Regional May 16-18 for the NCAA tournament. Oklahoma is nationally ranked No. 1 and is the top seed on its home course, the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. ... The Clemson men’s golf team is a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Tigers are in the Regional that will be played May 16-18 at the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio. ... Former USC All-American Pauline Roussin-Bouchard and Furman star Anna Morgan (Spartanburg) earned berth in the U.S. Women’s Open in qualifying in Southern Pines, North Carolina. ... Area tournament dates to remember: State Seniors, May 9-11, Orangeburg CC; Women’s State Amateur, June 14-16, Fort Jackson GC; Sonic Columbia Women’s Championship, June 20-21; Forest Lake; and Midlands Chevy Dealers Columbia Men’s Championship, July 14-16, The Spur at Northwoods. ... Former USC All-American George Bryan IV, brother of PGA Tour pro Wesley Bryan and half of the Bryan Brothers’ trick-shot show, earned a spot in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open in local qualifying at Columbia CC. Others advancing included Kyle Mueller (Jacksonville Beach, Florida), University of Georgia star Trent Phillips (Inman), Michael Cromie Athens, Georgia) and former USC player Scott Stevens (Chattanooga, Tennessee). ... Dillard Pruitt (Simpsonville) and Rob Butler (Camden) joined forces to win the CGA’s Four-Ball tourney at Camden CC.