April 16, 2016

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — South Carolina women’s golfers Katelyn Dambaugh and Ainhoa Olarra remained near the top of the individual leaderboard following Saturday’s second round of the SEC Championship at Greystone Golf and Country Club. Dambaugh led the charge for the No. 23 Gamecocks, shooting a 71 (-1) to move into a tie for second place and get within six shots of the lead, while Olarra turned in a 77 (+5) and ended round two in a tie for 11th place at 2-over (146) for the tournament.

South Carolina will head into the final day of the 54-hole event in seventh place (599, +23) after carding a 301 (+13) on Saturday. Seventh-ranked Florida joined No. 1 Alabama atop the leaderboard with a two-day total of 578 (+2), while Texas A&M moved up four spots into third place (590, +14) after carding a 291 (+3). The Gators’ Maria Torres separated herself from everyone else following a second-round 68 that pushed her to 7-under (137) for the tournament.

Dambaugh, who broke par at the SEC Championship for the second time in her career, notched birdies on No. 3 and 6 before making the turn at 35 (-1). She earned pars on seven of her final nine holes and once again ended her day with a birdie on the par-5 18th. After reaching the hole in two, the junior tapped in for birdie to move back to under par for the week.

Olarra opened her second round with five-straight pars and recorded a front-nine total of 39 (+3). Her lone birdie of the round came on the par-4 16th, and the San Sebastian, Spain, native nearly tallied another one two holes later when her putt on No. 18 lipped out.

Freshman Marion Veysseyre shot an up-and-down second round to finish with a 4-over 76. Both of her birdies on Saturday came on par-3 holes, and she played her final six holes at even. Veysseyre will head enter the third round in a tie for 53rd place with a two-round total of 157 (+13).

Senior Sarah Schmelzel marked the third Gamecock to register a birdie on No. 18, as she carded a 77 (+5) on day two. Schmelzel currently sits in a tie for 58th at 15-over (159) for the tournament, while junior Jia Xin Yang is 57th (158, +14) after posting a second-round 10-over 82.

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• South Carolina is one of just four schools with two golfers in the top-15 of the individual leaderboard.
• Junior Katelyn Dambaugh has shot par or better in three of her last four rounds at the SEC Championship dating back to last season.
• Freshman Marion Veysseyre ranks fourth in the field in par-3 scoring this week. Two of her three birdies during the tournament have come on par-3 holes.

Up Next

The Gamecocks conclude play at the SEC Championship on Sunday. South Carolina will be paired with Mississippi and Tennessee, and tee times for the final round can be found on GolfStat.com.