Gamecock great’s career path to top professional tours is on the fast track
’Tis the season for golfers to make their move in the qualifying tournaments that lead to the top professional tours, and no one is in better position than former University of South Carolina All-American Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
A native of France, Roussin-Bouchard blitzed the field to win Stage II of the LPGA qualifying school by five strokes in Venice, Florida. She fired a final-round 7-under-par 65 and finished the week 19-under-par.
Roussin-Bouchard leads 47 players from the Stage II event into the LPGA’s two-week Q-Series, set for early December in Alabama.
She came to USC with the idea of turning professional after two seasons, and her plan is on schedule. After making All-American in both of her collegiate season, her early pro performances are impressive.
In her first event on the Symetra Tour, a steppingstone to the LPGA, in August, she tied for fourth. She then played on the Ladies European Tour and posted a win and two other top-10 finishes.
The performances earned her full status on the LET circuit, and she will be looking to solidify her position on the LPGA Tour. A minimum of the top 45 in the 144-hole Q-Series will receive LPGA membership, and other who complete 108 holes will receive Symetra status.
Former USC player Anita Uwadia, who played in Symetra events last season, earned a berth in the Q-Series with a 29th-place finish in Stage II. Uwadia competed for the Gamecocks 2016-20 and played high school golf at Hilton Head Prep.
Korn Ferry Tour hopefuls
While Roussin-Bouchard and Uwadia wait until December to play again, the final stage of Korn Ferry Tour qualifying begins Thursday in Savannah, Georgia.
The field for the 72-hole event includes former Spring Valley High and Clemson star Jonathan Byrd, who finished second in his second stage tournament. Byrd, a five-time PGA Tour winner, has limited former champion status on the big tour and is seeking to bolster his playing opportunities on the Korn Ferry.
Also in the Savannah tournament will be Lexington’s Caleb Proveaux, who completed his eligibility in the spring at USC. A pair of former Clemson stars. Carson Young and Turk Pettit, also qualified. Pettit won the NCAA men’s individual championship this spring and added a pro victory on the Forme Tour. Young is a two-time South Carolina Amateur champion.
Other with South Carolina connections in the field are Bluffton’s Trace Crowe, who played college golf at Auburn; Sumter’s Christian Salzer, a state junior champion who played at North Carolina State; former University of Oklahoma player Garett Reband, who lives in York; and veteran pro Kyle Westmoreland, who lives in Mount Pleasant.
The top 45 will received Korn Ferry Tour status.
Chip shots. The brother-sister duo of Donald Taylor (Columbia) and Meredith Taylor (Lexington) captured the WSCGA-SCGA Mixed Team Championship at Dataw Island Club. The team of Pam Prescott (Piedmont) and Michael Rogers (Easley) earned the senior division title. . . . Clemson’s men tied for ninth in a field of 15 in the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in Alpharetta, Georgia. Sophomore Kian Rose led the Tigers in the individual competition. . . . Caleb Surratt (Indian Trail, North Carolina) used a final-round of 5-under-par 66 to capture the prestigious Bobby Chapman Junior Invitational at the CC of Spartanburg. . . . Both West Columbia’s Jensen Castle, who plays at Kentucky, and USC star freshman Hannah Darling are in line to receive invitations to the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Castle earned her spot by winning the U.S. Women’s Amateur, and Darling, currently No. 15 in the women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings, will qualify on her lofty ranking.