Women’s golf earns highest ranking in program history at No. 12
South Carolina women’s golf team will look to start spring break on a high note when it travels to Hilton Head Island to compete in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
The weekend tournament held at Long Cove Club will give the Gamecocks tough competition, as quality teams will be vying for top finishes.
Of the 17 teams competing in Hilton Head, 10 are ranked in the top 25, including No. 12 South Carolina. Six of the teams — Duke, Arizona State, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Stanford — are ranked in the top 10 and look to be the opponents the Gamecocks will be keying on this weekend.
South Carolina’s No. 12 ranking is the highest the Gamecocks have ever been in the Golf World/WGCA Division I College Coaches’ Poll. A strong performance against worthy teams in the tournament could push the team into the top 10.
South Carolina will bring its high ranking and momentum into the weekend after finishing first in its last outing, at the Florida State Match-Up on Valentine’s Day weekend. The Gamecocks were two-stroke victors as the team shot 7-over-par, with Clemson finishing second.
Five Gamecocks placed in the individual top 20, with sophomore Sarah Schmelzel’s second-place finish leading the way.
The win helped validate South Carolina’s top-15 ranking, and it shone the spotlight on Katelyn Dambaugh.
The Goose Creek native was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after her performance in the Florida State Match-Up. Along with finishing top-10 for the third time this year, Dambaugh tied for the third-lowest 18-hole score in program history after shooting a 67 in the final round.
“I believe she was our low-stroke average for the fall, and everybody really performed pretty well, but Katelyn definitely stepped up,” head coach Kalen Harris said. “She’s playing particularly well right now, and she just needs to keep going with her process.”
South Carolina will need Dambaugh and her teammates to stay consistent if they are to perform well this weekend and in future events.
Their consistency could be credited to the work the Gamecocks did over the winter break. The Gamecocks used the break to focus more on their short game, and it allowed Harris to focus on individualizing the team’s practices.
Harris said the team also focused on the mental aspect of the game during the winter break by doing individual and team sessions with volunteer coach Scott Barnicle and outside resources.
The young season has already seen the promise of what is to come, and Harris is excited about South Carolina’s potential this year. Harris said the Darius Rucker Invitational and future events can help the Gamecocks continue to progress through the spring and get them where they need to be at the most important time of the season.
“We’re obviously in the top 15,” Harris said. “Our goals are set high and, again, we just build on each event at a time to get us ready for our postseason play.”