The Daily Gamecock

Women's golf secures first win of spring season at Moon Golf Invitational

<p>The women's golf team poses for a photo at the Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida. The tournament win was the first of the spring season for the No. 2 Gamecocks.&nbsp;</p>
The women's golf team poses for a photo at the Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida. The tournament win was the first of the spring season for the No. 2 Gamecocks. 

The No. 2 South Carolina women’s golf team shot a 24-under 840 to secure a 6-stroke win at this week's Moon Golf Invitational in Melbourne, Florida, where sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard secured her second tournament title of the season.

The Gamecocks broke three program records along the way. They set their record for lowest 54-hole score with 840 and they set the record for lowest-scoring second round in school history with a 275, which is good enough to be the third-lowest overall round in program history. Additionally, Roussin-Bouchard set the Gamecock record for lowest individual score in one round with a 63 on Sunday. 

Roussin-Bouchard came out hot, sinking five consecutive birdies to start the first round. She would finish Sunday with nine total birdies. Her record-setting 63 led the Gamecocks to an 8-under 280 opening round.

“Pauline is very special. To start like that is very special. Most days don’t start like that,” head coach Kalen Anderson said. “It was an exciting day to just watch Pauline and see how many birdies she’d make.”

Heading into Monday, the Gamecocks held a 2-stroke lead over Central Florida. The team worked hard and impressed in round two as Roussin-Bouchard and senior Ana Pelaez led the way, both shooting 5-under 67s.  

Roussin-Bouchard started the round with an eagle on the first hole. She continued to play consistently throughout the round, hitting three birdies along the way. 

Pelaez birdied five times on the front nine and shot par on the back nine. She finished the round in a tie for third place overall. She also tied her personal record for her lowest-scoring round as a Gamecock.

As a team, South Carolina shot a 13-under 275 in Monday's second round. They extended their lead to 10 strokes and were looking to clinch the tournament in the third and final round on Tuesday. 

"Our performance today was just great," Anderson said after the round. "We went out there and really stayed aggressive and didn't back off. We attacked the par-5s and gave ourselves a great opportunity at each one and took advantage of scoring opportunities.”

The third round was a cruise to the finish line for the team. They shot 3-under 285 to secure the tournament win by 6 strokes. 

Roussin-Bouchard controlled the tournament from the opening round. She finished the tournament with a 13-under 203, four strokes ahead of LSU's Latanna Stone.

Roussin-Bouchard's 203 was the second-lowest score during a 54-hole tournament in school history, behind her own record of 202 set in October. 

In her season debut, Pelaez finished tied for third with an 8-under 208. This ties her career-best performance as a Gamecock. This is also her fourth top-5 finish as a Gamecock. 

“It’s great to have Ana back. She brings a wealth of experience, she’s a great energy to the team,” Anderson said. “Her leadership is priceless. To have her back is a huge spark for our line-up.”

Senior Lois Kaye Go finished even with 216, sophomore Mathilde Claisse shot 2-over 218 and senior Pimnipa Panthong shot 3-over 219 to round it out for the Gamecocks.

South Carolina will return to the course on March 1 when they host the 2021 Gamecock Intercollegiate at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood. 


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