USC Women’s Golf Tied for Ninth at NCAA Championship

May 22, 2016 10:08 AM EDT

EUGENE, Ore. (USC SID) — 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.

SOUTH CAROLINA RESULTS

T10. Katelyn Dambaugh 69-73=142 (-2)

T26. Ainhoa Olarra 73-71=144 (E)

T38. Sarah Schmelzel 75-71=146 (+2)

T85. Isidora Nilsson 76-74=150 (+6)

T125. Marion Veysseyre 78-79=157 (+13)

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Southern California 289-280=569 (-7)

2. Washington 289-285=574 (-2)

3. UCLA 286-291=577 (+1)

4. Stanford 295-283=578 (+2)

T5. Oklahoma State 284-295=579 (+3)

T5. Oregon 297-282=579 (+3)

7. Arizona 291-289=580 (+4)

8. Northwestern 292-289=581 (+5)

T9. South Carolina 293-289=582 (+6)

T9. Duke 299-283=582 (+6)

T9. Tennessee 297-285=582 (+6)

12. Arkansas 292-291=583 (+7)

13. Florida State 295-290=585 (+9)

14. Ohio State 293-293=586 (+10)

15. Virginia 293-294=587 (+11)

16. Georgia 298-291=589 (+13)

T17. Florida 297-293=590 (+14)

T17. North Carolina 298-292=590 (+14)

T19. Miami 299-292=591 (+15)

T19. Texas 301-290=591 (+15)

21. Alabama 300-292=592 (+16)

T22. Furman 298-297=595 (+19)

T22. Michigan 296-299=595 (+19)

24. Brigham Young 294-306=600 (+24)

QUOTING HEAD COACH KALEN ANDERSON

“They were really tough again, and I’m really proud of them. We were up-and-down all day, and we never had it going real low. Ainhoa, Isidora and Sarah came in with big birdies and kept us right in it. I know some teams went a little low this morning, but the afternoon played a little tougher. We have put ourselves in a really good position.”

ROUND CHANGER

After carding pars on 30 of her first 34 holes of the tournament, Ainhoa Olarra broke through down the stretch of round two, finishing her day with back-to-back birdies on No. 17 and 18. Saturday marked her fourth round under par this postseason.

NOTABLES

· 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 PT.