April 1, 2016

BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. — Paced by strong rounds from sophomore Ainhoa Olarra and senior Sarah Schmelzel, South Carolina fired a 297 (+9) on Friday’s opening round at the Bryan National Collegiate to end the day in a tie for second place. Both golfers sit in the top 10 for the Gamecocks, who will enter the second round eight strokes off the lead.

Olarra (T-6) carded 13 pars on day one of the 54-hole event on the way to a 1-over 73. She opened the tournament with a birdie on her first hole of the day, the par-5 sixth, and the sophomore made the turn at even 35. Her second birdie came on the par-5 15th, and she earned pars on six of her final eight holes.

Schmelzel, who also turned in a 73 (+1), began her morning with five-straight pars before recording a bogey on the par-4 13th. She responded with birdies on holes No. 15 and 17, and her last birdie came on the par-4 second. The senior displayed steady play down the stretch, as she notched pars on each of her final three holes.

Junior Katelyn Dambaugh marked the third Gamecock to finish round one in the top 25. A birdie on the par-5 11th dropped her to 1-under, and she carded a front-nine 36 (E) before shooting a 3-over 39 following the turn. The Goose Creek, S.C., native’s 75 (+3) on Friday put her in a tie for 22nd place.

Jia Xin Yang sits just outside the top 25 in a tie for 28th following her 4-over 76. After a pair of early bogeys, the junior birdied the par-4 10th before finding her stroke after the turn. She played her final nine holes at even and tallied her second birdie of the round on the par-5 sixth.

Freshman Marion Veysseyre sits in a tie for 44th place after opening with a 6-over 78. She began her day even through five holes and made the turn at 2-over 37 following bogeys on No. 12 and 14. Veysseyre finished the first round with two birdies, with the final one coming on her last hole of the afternoon, the par-5 sixth. Gaby Amos, who is competing this weekend as an individual, shot a 10-over 82 to end her day in a tie for 74th place.

Virginia sits atop the leaderboard following its opening-round 289 (+1), while Notre Dame (T-2) matched South Carolina’s 297 on Friday. Miami and Wake Forest both sit in a tie for fourth at 10-over (298), and East Carolina’s Nico Engstroem Skaug holds the individual lead after opening with a 70 (-2).

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• South Carolina ranked second in par-3 scoring (3.15) and par-5 scoring (4.75) in the opening round.
• Three of the five players in the Gamecocks’ lineup carded a birdie on the par-5 sixth on Friday.
• South Carolina’s 297 matched its second-lowest first-round score of the season. The Gamecocks have opened with a 297 in each of their last two tournaments.

Up Next

The Gamecocks are back on the course Saturday morning when they resume play at the Bryan National Collegiate. South Carolina’s second-round tee times can be found on GolfStat.com.