May 21, 2016

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EUGENE, Ore. — Led by steady rounds from senior Sarah Schmelzel and sophomore Ainhoa Olarra, No. 18 South Carolina remained in good position at the NCAA Championship following Saturday’s second round at Eugene Country Club. The pair of golfers each carded a 71 (-1) to help the Gamecocks post a 289 (+1) and end round two in a tie for ninth place with a 36-hole total of 582 (+6).

South Carolina will head into Sunday seven shots clear of 16th-place Georgia. The 24-team field in Oregon will be cut to 15 schools after the conclusion of the third round before the remaining competitors battle it out on Monday for the eight spots in the match play portion of the tournament.

Olarra (T26) and Schmelzel (T38) both saw strong finishes to their rounds, tallying birdies on their final hole, the par-4 18th. Olarra also added a birdie on No. 17, while junior Katelyn Dambaugh fired a 73 (+1) and currently sits in a tie for 10th place at 2-under (142) for the tournament.

Southern California shot a 280 (-8) on Saturday to take a commanding five-stroke lead with a two-round total of 569 (-7). Washington (574, -2) sits in second place, while UCLA is third (577, +1) after recording a 291 (+3) in round two. Miami’s Dewi Weber grabbed the individual lead after pacing the field with a second-round 66 (-6) to sit at 9-under (135) through two days.

Olarra, who is even (144) for her week, continued to rack up the pars in round two, as the San Sebastian, Spain, native recorded one on each of her first 15 holes. Schmelzel registered three birdies on the day, two of which came on par-5 holes on her front nine. The senior sits at 2-over (146) after two rounds of action.

Dambaugh saw an up-and-down round that was highlighted by an eagle on No. 12. She holed out from 145 yards on the 380-yard par 4, and the Goose Creek, S.C., native finished her day with three birdies and four bogeys.

Isidora Nilsson (T85) once again found her rhythm after making the turn. She played her final nine holes at even following a birdie on the par-5 seventh, and the freshman’s other birdie on Saturday came on No. 7. She shot par or better on 11 of her final 12 holes on her way to a two-round total of 150 (+6). Marion Veysseyre posted a 79 (+7) and currently sits in a tie for 125th at 13-over (157) for the week.

Quoting Coach Kalen Anderson

Round Changer

Notable

• South Carolina’s 289 (+1) on Saturday marked its fourth-lowest round ever at an NCAA Championship. It was also the third-lowest round for the Gamecocks this spring.
• Sophomore Ainhoa Olarra’s 30 pars this week are good for the second-highest total among the field.
• Junior Katelyn Dambaugh is one of just eight golfers to card an eagle at the NCAA Championship.
• The Gamecocks sport the fifth-best par-4 scoring average (4.16) through two rounds.

Up Next

The Gamecocks return to action on Sunday for the third round of the NCAA Championship. South Carolina will be paired with Arizona and Northwestern and tee off at Eugene Country Club at 7:30 a.m. PT.