Rydqvist leads the way as host South Carolina rocks on in Darius Rucker Invitational

 

   It has evolved into one of the biggest events on the women’s college schedule in the early spring, some of the best amateur players in the world and the top teams in the country vying to win The Guitar, the iconic trophy that goes to the team champion of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Wednesday at the Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

   Rucker, who rose to fame as the frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish, has become a huge backer of the game, particularly the college game and particularly in Hilton Head. His association with the event is what draws so many great teams and players as well as cameras from The Golf Channel.

   Rucker’s alma mater, South Carolina, earned The Guitar, the Gamecocks going to the tiebreaker that counts the total of a team’s throw-out scores to defeat Southeastern Conference rival LSU after the two teams finished tied at 11-over-par 863.

   South Carolina also got a share of the individual crown as Louise Rydqvist, a senior from Sweden and No. 4 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), finished in a tie at the top of the leaderboard with Arkansas’ Kendall Todd, a senior from Goodyear, Ariz. and No. 44 in the WAGR. They were the only two players to finish in red figures for 54 holes, each landing on 1-under 212.

   Both have made deep runs in two of the most prestigious events in women’s amateur golf, Rydqvist falling in the final of the Royal & Ancient’s Women’s Amateur Championship in the summer of 2022 at England’s Hunstanton Golf Club and Todd reaching the semifinals in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

   South Carolina, No. 5 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd rankings, opened with a 7-over 291 over the 6,413-yard, par-71 Long Cove layout and added a solid 2-under 282 in Tuesday’s second round that left the Gamecocks tied with another SEC rival, Arkansas, going into the final round.

   South Carolina closed with a 6-over 290 to end up at 11-over.

   LSU, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, trailed South Carolina and Arkansas by four shots as the Tigers added a 4-over 288 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round of 5-over 289. LSU closed with a 2-over 286 that enabled it to catch South Carolina at 11-over.

   Arkansas, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings, added a 1-over 285 in Tuesday’s second round to its opening round of 4-over 288 before closing with a 10-over 294 that left the Razorbacks four shots behind South Carolina and LSU with a 15-over 867 total.

   All three of the SEC powers made strong postseason runs a year ago, South Carolina advancing to the NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. by finishing in a tie for fourth place as the top seed in Auburn Regional, LSU capturing the team title as the top seed in the Bryan Regional and Arkansas claiming the team crown as a two seed in the Las Vegas Regional.

   Only LSU made it to the match-play bracket at La Costa, the Tigers falling to Oregon in the quarterfinals in a mild upset, if there is such a thing as an upset in a bracket that includes eight of the best teams in the country.

   Didn’t catch any of the broadcast, but saw a couple of videos on X that seemed to indicate there was a chill in the air on Hilton Head Island. I’m sure some early March winds made their presence known on the South Carolina coastline, which also likely contributed to some high scores.

   Nobody handled the conditions better than Rydqvist and Todd did.

   Todd opened with a 3-under 68 that matched the low individual round of the tournament. A 1-over 72 in Monday’s second round gave Todd a one-shot lead over Ryqvist going into the final round. Todd closed with a second straight 1-over 72 to earn her share of the individual title, the first of her college career.

   After opening with a 1-over 72, Rydqvist creeped within a shot of Todd with a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par with a 71 in the final round that enabled her to catch Todd for the second individual crown of Rydqvist’s college career.

   LSU was led by Aine Donegan, a senior from Ireland and No. 48 in the Women’s WAGR, and Josefin Widal, a freshman from Sweden, as they finished a shot behind Rydqvist and Todd in a tie for third place along with Texas’ Lauren Kim, a senior from Canada and No. 13 in the WAGR, at even-par 213.

   Donegan is the veteran holdover from an LSU team that lost Ingrid Lindblad, the consensus Player of the Year in women’s college golf for the 2023-2024 season – she won both the Annika Award and the Juli Inkster Award – and Latanna Stone.

   After opening with a 2-over 73, Donegan recorded back-to-back 1-under 70s in the final two rounds. Widal matched par in the opening round with a 71 and added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 2-under 69.

   Reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion Wake Forest, No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings, was another four shots behind Arkansas in fourth place with a 19-over 871 total. The Demon Deacons registered back-to-back 7-over 291s in the first two rounds before closing with a 5-over 289.

   Wake Forest reached last spring’s NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as the top seed in the Bermuda Run Regional, but came up just short of earning a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa, finishing in ninth place, two shots out of the top eight.

   Arizona State, No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings, was a shot behind Wake Forest in fifth place with a 20-over 872 total. The Sun Devils, who moved to the Big 12 in the wake of the collapse of the Pac-12, opened with a 7-over 291 and added a 4-over 288 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-over 293.

   Arizona State advanced to last spring’s NCAA Championship by finishing in fourth place as the three seed in the Cle Elum Regional, but the Sun Devils were unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   One of the SEC’s new additions, Texas, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in a tie for sixth place in the loaded 17-team field with Big Ten power Northwestern, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, each ending up nine shots behind Arizona State at 29-over 881.

   The Longhorns added a 9-over 293 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening round of 7-over 291 before closing with a 297.

   Texas was led by Kim, who joined LSU’s Donegan and Widal in the tie for third place at even-par. After opening with a 1-under 70, Kim posted a 1-over 72 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Texas reached last spring’s NCAA Championship with a runnerup finish as a two seed in the Bermuda Run Regional, but couldn’t earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Northwestern shaved 10 shots off its opening-round 298 with a 4-over 288 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 295.

   The Wildcats reached last spring’s NCAA Championship by finishing in fourth place as a two seed in the East Lansing Regional, but never got it going at La Costa.

   Backing up Rydqvist for South Carolina was Hannah Darling, the Gamecocks’ senior stalwart from Scotland and No. 17 in the Women's WAGR who finished among a trio of players tied for eighth place at 3-over 216. After opening with a 1-over 72, Darling added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Eila Galitsky, a freshman from Thailand and No. 18 in the Women's WAGR, made it three Gamecocks in the top 11 as she finished in a tie for 11^th place at 4-over 217. Galitsky sandwiched a solid 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 3-over 74s.

   Galitsky joined the South Carolina program in time for the spring semester and, in just her second start, defeated Florida State’s Lottie Woad, the No. 1 player in the Women's WAGR, to capture the individual crown in the Moon Golf Invitational last month at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla.

   Sophia Burnett, a graduate student playing close to her home on Hilton Head Island, finished among a trio of players tied for 26^th place with an 8-over 221 total. Burnett matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 2-over 73, but struggled in the final round with a 6-over 77.

   Rounding out the South Carolina lineup was Mylis Lamoure, a sophomore from France who finished in the group tied for 52^nd place with a 13-over 226 total. Lamoure posted back-to-back 5-over 76s in the first two rounds before closing with a 3-over 74.

   Turned out, though, Lamoure grinding out those two 76s and Burnett getting it in at 77 in the final round proved to be huge when the tiebreaker criteria flipped to the throw-out scores. The lesson, of course, is never think what you’re doing out there might not count.

   South Carolina head coach Kalen Anderson took the opportunity as the host to have a couple of her players compete as individuals.

   Vairana Heck, a sophomore from France, finished among the group tied for 46^th place with a 12-over 225 total as she opened with a 2-over 73 and added a pair of 5-over 76s in the final two rounds.

   Mia Sandtorv Lussand, a junior from Norway, finished alone in 85^th place at 238 as she sandwiched a 7-over 78 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 80s.

   Arizona State’s Patience Rhodes, a redshirt sophomore from England and No. 37 in the Women's WAGR, finished alone in sixth place, a shot behind the trio tied for third at 1-over 214. Rhodes sandwiched a 1-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 1-over 72s.

   Rhodes, LSU’s Donegan, South Carolina’s Darling and Florida State’s Woad were all members of the Great Britain & Ireland team that wrested the Curtis Cup away from the United States for the first time since 2016 with a hard-fought 10.5-9.5 victory at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England last summer. It was the third time Darling represented GB&I in a Curtis Cup Match.

   Auburn’s Carys Worby, a redshirt junior from Wales, finished a shot behind Rhodes in seventh place with a 2-over 215 total. After opening with a solid 1-under 70, Worby added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Joining Darling in the trio tied for eighth place, a shot behind Worby at 3-over 216 were Northwestern’s Lauryn Nguyen, a senior from Seattle, Wash. and No. 48 in the Women's WAGR, and Wake Forest’s Macy Pate, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 54 in the Women's WAGR.

   Nguyen sandwiched a 1-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 2-over 73s. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Pate added a 2-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Nice showing by Vanderbilt freshman Angelina Tolentino, a scholastic standout at Lenape High who finished among the group tied for 33^rd place with a 10-over 223 total. After opening with a solid 1-over 72, Tolentino added a 3-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 77.

   Tolentino captured the title in the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship at Waynesborough Country Club last summer.

   The Commodores, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in a tie for eighth place with SEC rival Auburn, each ending up with a 32-over 884 total.

   Another freshman Jersey girl, Megan Meng, a Hopewell Valley Central product, teed it up in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate as an individual for Northwestern and finished in the group tied for 61^st place with a 228 total. Meng opened with an 8-over 79 and added a 77 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 1-over 72.

   Another of a recent run of junior standouts coming out of New Jersey, Duke sophomore Katie Li of Basking Ridge and No. 76 in the Women's WAGR finished among the group tied for 67^th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 2-over 73, Li struggled in Tuesday’s second round with an 81 before closing with a 4-over 75.

   Senior Rylie Heflin, an Avondale native who starred scholastically at Tower Hill School, finished in a tie for 83^rd place with a 234 for the Dookies as she added a 7-over 78 in Tuesday’s second round to her opening-round 79 before closing with an 80. Heflin was the winner of the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur two summers ago at Sunnehanna Golf Club.

   It was a bit of a struggle for the Blue Devils at Long Cove as the perennial ACC power, No. 19 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in 13^th place with a 902 total.

   Ohio State, under the direction of Lisa Strom, the 1994 PIAA champion as a senior at Lansdale Catholic, finished a shot behind Vanderbilt and Auburn in 10^th place with a 33-over 885 total. The Buckeyes, a Big Ten power, are No. 26 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Ohio State failed to reach last spring’s NCAA Championship when it finished in sixth place as a six seed in the Bryan Regional. I’m sure Strom would like to see her Buckeyes take that next step this spring.

   The Buckeyes had a pair of top-20 finishers at Long Cove as Kary Holllenbaugh, a junior from New Albany, Ohio and No. 29 in the Women’s WAGR, landed in the group tied for 13^th place with a 5-over 218 total and Nellie Ong, a freshman from England, ended up among the group tied for 17^th place at 6-over 219.

   Hollenbaugh got her 2025 off to a great start by capturing the title in The Sally, the venerable stop on the Orange Blossom Tour at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla. in early January.

   She then claimed the individual crown in a loaded field in last month’s Therese Hession Regional Challenge, hosted by Ohio State at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Hollenbaugh closed with a solid 1-under 70 in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.