No. 1 Gamecocks bounce back from slow start but fall short in nationals
South Carolina entered the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship ranked No. 1, but the Gamecocks could not overcome a poor first round and finished 13th in Scottsdale, Arizona.
After opening with a 24-over-par 312, USC played the final three rounds in a total of 4-over-par. The Gamecocks fell seven strokes short of making the top eight that advanced to match-play to decide the championship.
“We fell a little short, but coming back from that first day we put ourselves in the mix all the way up until (late in the final round) and we just fell a little bit short,” coach Kalen Anderson said. “We had an excellent season, had a couple downturns at the end, but that’s the game of golf. It doesn’t take away from the amazing season we had.”
USC won a program best four tournaments during the season.
More commitments for new PGA stop in SC
The field for the PGA Tour’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree is taking shape with early commitments from Tommy Fleetwood and Sungjae Im joining Dustin Johnson to provide star power.
Im, the Tour’s 2019 rookie of the year, is ranked 23rd in the world and tied for second in the 2020 Masters. Fleetwood, 31st in the world rankings, owns five European Tour wins and went 4-1-0 to help Europe win the 2018 Ryder Cup.
Several players from the Palmetto State have committed to the June 10-13 event at Congaree Golf Club near Ridgeland. Along with Johnson, ranked No. 1 in the world, the South Carolina list includes Lucas Glover, Jonathan Byrd, Mark Anderson, Matt NeSmith, Scott Brown, William McGirt, Bill Haas, Ben Martin, Doc Redman and D.J. Trahan.
Players have until 5 p.m. Friday, June 4 to enter. A full field list will be announced once the t deadline has passed.
To purchase tickets, parking passes, or to register for volunteer opportunities, visit PalmettoChampionship.com.
Chip shots. Ole Miss, coached by former USC player Kory (Thompson) Henkes, won the NCAA women’s title with three-match-play victories. The Rebels’ lineup included Kennedy Swann, a transfer from Clemson. ... USC’s Ryan Hall and Clemson’s Jacob Bridgeman are among 11 finalists for the Fred Haskins Award, presented to college golf’s top male player. The winner will be announced Tuesday. ... Anna Morgan, a Furman player from Spartanburg, will defend her championship in the WSCGA’s Women’s State Amateur, set Tuesday-Thursday at Columbia Country Club.