EUGENE, Ore. — South Carolina women’s golf opened play at the NCAA Championship on Friday, posting a 293 (+5) to end round one at Eugene Country Club in a tie for eighth place. The No. 18 Gamecocks, who began the tournament on the par-4 10th alongside Virginia and Florida State, were once again led by standout Katelyn Dambaugh. The junior broke par for the sixth-straight round after carding five birdies to finish with a 69 (-3) and get within one stroke of the individual lead.

Oklahoma State leads the 24-team field following an opening-round 284 (-4), while UCLA (286, -2), Washington (289, +1) and Southern California (289, +1) round out the top three. Purdue’s August Kim, one of 12 golfers who qualified for the NCAA Championship as an individual, shares the individual lead (68, -4) with Arizona’s Haley Moore.

Dambaugh (T3) found her stroke early, as the Goose Creek, S.C., native birdied two of her first three holes before a gutsy approach shot on the par-5 15th led to her third birdie of the morning. She made the turn at 2-under 33 and recovered from back-back bogeys with a birdie on No. 2. Another great approach shot from Dambaugh on her final hole of the day, the par-4 ninth, resulted in a tap-in birdie.

Ainhoa Olarra continued her strong postseason play, turning in a 73 (+1) on Friday. The sophomore shook off a pair of bogeys in the early going and finished her round with a team-high 15 pars. Olarra, who currently sits in a tie for 39th place, saw a strong finish to her round, as she birdied No. 7 before converting a tricky up-and-down to secure a par on No. 9.

Senior Sarah Schmelzel (T69) was also steady in her opening round. She posted a 75 (+3) and played her final 13 holes at even following a triple-bogey on the par-3 14th. The Phoenix, Ariz., native collected two birdies, the last of which came on No. 4.

Freshman Isidora Nilsson carded three birdies of her own on the way to an opening-round 76 (+4). After making the turn at 4-over 39, Nilsson settled in and played her final nine holes at even to finish the day in a tie for 85th place. She ended on a high note, chipping in for birdie on the par-4 ninth. Fellow freshman Marion Veysseyre recorded a 78 (+6) in round one and finished her day with 11 pars. The Lachapelle-Auzac, France, native will head into round two in a tie for 111th place.

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• South Carolina was just 1-over on its back nine on Friday. The Gamecock golfers combined to finish par or better on 39 of their 45 holes after the turn.
• Junior Katelyn Dambaugh has shot par or better in all seven of South Carolina’s postseason rounds.
• The Gamecocks’ 60 pars on Friday ranked third among the field on Friday.
• Sophomore Ainhoa Olarra’s 15 pars were the second-highest totals among golfers in the opening round.

Up Next

The Gamecocks are back on the course at Eugene Country Club for the second round of the NCAA Championship. South Carolina, which will once again play with Virginia and Florida State, will tee off at 12 p.m. PT.