The women's golf team came up just short of a title as they fell in the championship round to Arkansas on Sunday. The Gamecocks entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and dominated during the first few rounds of competition. Taking on No. 3 seed Arkansas, the Razorbacks got out to a quick start on Sunday to as junior Maria Fassi got the 2&1 win over South Carolina sophomore Anita Uwadia.
The title match was neck-and-neck and came down to the very end. On the 18th hole, Razorback junior Kaylee Benton made par to defeat Gamecock senior Ainhoa Olarra 1-up to take the championship.
Despite falling short, head coach Kalen Anderson was proud of the fight her team played with all weekend.
“It came down to the wire – it could have gone either way. It was looking a little bleak coming in, and the team rallied and made it close. It came down to the last hole," Anderson said. "It was a great match, and we ended up losing by just a hole. This week was a big confidence boost, and we need to take this momentum into NCAA Regionals.”
In her final SEC Tournament, Olarra was a leader for her team and proved her strength in conference play, taking home an award for South Carolina. On Friday, Olarra won the SEC individual title, taking down Fassi in dramatic fashion. Olarra tied Fassi on the 18th hole to force a playoff for the individual title. After they both hit par on the first hole, Olarra recorded her fifth birdie of the day to take the title. Olarra recognized after the match how hard her opponent made her work to get out on top.
"I'm really happy. It was a great day, but it was a hard day — Maria from Arkansas made everything tough for me," Olarra said. "The playoff was good, but I am really excited for this weekend. Our goal is to win this tournament. We are going to go for it with everything we have."
This is Olarra's second win of the spring season and the second straight year South Carolina has taken home the individual title at the SEC Tournament.
The Gamecocks now await the rest of their postseason, with the NCAA Women's Golf selection show taking place on April 25. The regional competition is set to begin May 7.