USC’s golf teams starting new-look fall schedule after COVID disrupted seasons

The University of South Carolina’s golf teams, both men and women, embrace that age-old cliché “better late than never” on the eve of the first competitions of their fall seasons.

A month later than the usual date for opening the fall schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak, the teams will play in the Blessings Collegiate Invitational that begins Monday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to play,” women’s coach said Kalen Anderson said. “We’re excited.”

Men’s coach Bill McDonald echoed the thoughts, saying: “It’s certainly different, but we’re tickled to be playing. There’s been so much uncertainty and our guys are anxious to compete.”

In response to the coronavirus, the SEC restricted golf teams to three fall tournaments with fields composed of conference members or non-conference teams in the geographical region. Some other conferences, including the ACC, canceled fall competition in golf.

“What it amounts to is, we will play four SEC tournaments,” said McDonald, whose squad will follow the Arkansas tourney with events in Nashville, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama — all against league opposition. (The fourth is the annual SEC Championship in the spring after what teams hope is a normal spring schedule.)

Both Carolina teams will play the fall with number concerns from opposite ends of the spectrum. The men will field a five-player teams from a roster of 12. The women have only five players on hand after two players opted out of fall competition and another will not join the team until January.

“Twelve guys are a lot for us, and that’s good and bad,” McDonald said. “With 12, the competition (to make the five-player team in tournaments) is really good. The bad thing is, we’ve got to leave seven at home” during tournaments.

McDonald likes to use the fall to experiment with different lineup combinations to give younger players experience and get them used to travel. Fewer tournaments might force a change in strategy.

Seniors Jamie Wilson and Caleb Proveaux are fixtures in the lineup, and both junior Ryan Hall and sophomore Jack Wall joined Wilson in competing in this summer’s U.S. Amateur.

“However the lineup works out, we’ll be fine,” McDonald said. “The thing is, we can get one positive test and everything changes. We need every guy to be ready. Considering the caliber of opposition, we’ll find out in a hurry where we are.”

Despite the numbers crunch, Anderson goes into the season like always — with high expectations. Even with graduate student Ana Pelaez sitting out the fall, the Gamecocks will have three All-Americans and a highly touted freshman in the lineup Monday.

“It’s going to be fun to compete and to be together,” Anderson said. “They’ve had to stay in a bubble and they have sacrificed socially, but they’ve done a terrific job. The university and the athletic department have been great.”

Sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, among the top five women amateurs in the world ranking, heads the team that includes two other All-Americans: graduate transfer Pimnipa Panthong and senior Lois Kaye Go. Freshman Paula Kirner, another player with a lofty world ranking, will make her debut. Sophomore Mathilde Claisse rounds out the lineup.

“There’s a lot to be happy about,” said Anderson, whose team ranked No. 6 nationally when COVID-19 halted the 2019-20 season in March. “Our goals are very high, and our depth will be outstanding in the spring.”

Pelaez, another All-American, and sophomore Smith Knaffle will rejoin the team in January, and freshman Kaiyetee Moodley arrives from South Africa for the spring tournaments that lead to the national championship.

After the Arkansas event, USC’s women will play in a Mississippi tournament before joining Ole Miss, Florida and Texas in the high-profile East Lake Cup in Atlanta.

The Golf Channel will televise both the men’s and women’s tourneys in Arkansas and also the East Lake Cup.

Chip shots. Former USC Upstate player Brooke Hutto (Aiken) edged Lea Venable (Simpsonville) 1-up for the WCGA’s Match-Play title at the CC of South Carolina in Florence. Division winners included Nancy Dodge (Prosperity), Dana Halliday (Spartanburg) and Denise Brackett (Florence). ... Lexington High toppled Blythewood High and Hilton Head Prep for the championship in the WSCGA’s Junior Golf Foundation Invitational at the CC of South Carolina. Lexington’s Isabella Rawl earned the individual title.