Roussin-Bouchard captures individual honors, leads South Carolina to team crown in Moon Golf Invitational

    When South Carolina lost to Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi in the East Lake Cup final in early November, the Gamecocks were missing a big piece in their lineup.

   With Ana Pelaez, a fifth-year player from Spain and No. 25 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), back in the lineup, South Carolina cruised to a six-shot victory in the Moon Golf Invitational hosted by Louisville, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Fla.

   Pelaez took up the NCAA on its offer for another year of eligibility after the end of her senior season was stolen by the coronavirus pandemic last spring. But with travel still a little dicey, Pelaez hung back Europe last fall.

   Not that she wasn’t staying busy on the golf course. A victory in Santander Tour Madrid earned Pelaez a spot in The Women’s Open of Spain in December and she finished third against many of the top women professionals in Europe, including some of her Spanish heroes like Azahara Munoz.

   Make no mistake about it, this South Carolina team, ranked No. 2 by Golfstat at the end of the fall portion of the wraparound 2020-2021 season, is formidable.

   Pelaez might not even be the Gamecocks’ best player. That’s probably France’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, the sophomore who spent a lot of time in 2020 at the top of the Women’s WAGR and is still No. 4 in the latest world ranking.

   Roussin-Bouchard blitzed the 6,383-yard, par-72 Duran layout with a scintillating 9-under-par 63 on a Valentine’s Day Sunday and never looked back on her way to a four-shot victory in the individual chase. Roussin-Bouchard added a 5-under 67 in Monday’s second round and closed with a 1-over 73 for a 13-under 203 total.

   Boosted by Roussin-Bouchard’s spectacular 63, South Carolina grabbed the lead with an 8-under 280 in Sunday’s opening round. The Gamecocks added a 13-under 275 in the second round, the third best team round in program history and easily the low team round of the tournament, and finished up with a 3-under 285 for a 24-under 840 total.

   No. 3 LSU, another SEC entry, was a solid runnerup as the Bayou Tigers opened with a 3-under 285 and added an 8-under 280 before finishing up with a 7-under 281, the best team round in Tuesday’s final round, for an 18-under 836 total.

   LSU got an outstanding individual performance out of Latanna Stone, a sophomore from Riverview, Fla. who was the runnerup to Roussin-Bouchard with a 9-under 207 total. Stone, winner of the Harder Hall Invitational, a prestigious stop on the unofficial Orange Blossom Tour in January of 2020, opened with a 4-under 68 and added a 3-under 69 before closing with a 2-under 70.

   A couple of Atlantic Coast Conference teams, Virginia and Florida State, accounted for the next two spots in the team standings, in third and fourth place, respectively. The ACC was shut down for the fall by the pandemic, but the Cavaliers, who pulled out a one-shot victory in the UCF Challenge a couple of weeks ago at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, and the Seminoles have wasted no time getting back in the groove.

   Virginia, getting another solid showing by freshman Jennifer Cleary, a Tower Hill product out of Wilmington, Del., was under par in all three rounds, opening with a 3-under 285 and adding a 6-under 282 before closing with a 1-under 287 for a 10-under 854 total that left it eight shots behind LSU. Florida State was equally solid, matching Virginia’s opening-round 285 and adding a 1-under 287 before finishing up with a 4-under 284 for an 8-under 856 total that left the Seminoles two shots behind the Cavaliers.

   It was another six shots back to another SEC entry, No. 9 Auburn, in fifth place as the Tigers closed with a 1-under 287 to end up with a 2-under 862 total. After opening with a 1-over 289, Auburn registered a 2-under 286 in Monday’s second round.

   Central Florida finished alone in sixth place at even-par 864. The Knights only trailed South Carolina by two shots after an opening round of 6-under 282 and added a 1-over 289 before closing with a 5-over 293.

   Like the ACC, the Big Ten teams weren’t allowed to compete in the fall, so it had to be an encouraging performance for Illinois, which shared seventh place with perennial SEC power Arkansas, ranked 7^th, at 1-over 865. The Fighting Illini opened with a 1-under 287 and fell back a little with a 5-over 293 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 285. The Razorbacks, who finished sixth in the UCF Challenge, opened with a 4-over 292 and cut 10 shots off that with a solid 6-under 282 in Monday’s second round before finishing up with a 3-over 291.

   Another SEC power, No. 16 Alabama, was a shot behind Illinois and Arkansas in ninth place at 2-over 866. After opening with a 4-over 292, the Crimson Tide matched par in the second round with a 288 before closing with a 2-under 286.

   It was the season opener for North Carolina and the rust showed as the Tar Heels finished in 14^th place in the 18-team field with a 21-over 885 total. North Carolina opened with a 299 and cut 10 shots off that with a 1-over 289 in the second round before finishing up with a 9-over 297.

   Brynn Walker, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at Radnor, had planned to return for a fifth year at Carolina. But with no college golf in the fall, Walker changed course over the holidays and decided to turn pro. I took the occasion of Walker’s announcement to recap the eight-year domination by District One players at the PIAA Championship, capped by Walker’s back-to-back Class AAA crowns in 2014 and 2015, in a post earlier this week.

   Walker probably didn’t achieve all of her goals at North Carolina, but she was a fixture in Jan Mann’s starting lineup for four years and wore the powder blue proudly. She’s a Tar Heel forever.

   Pelaez backed up Roussin-Bouchard as she finished in a tie for third place with Alabama’s Polly Mack, a senior from Germany, at 8-under 208, a shot behind LSU’s Stone. After opening with a 71, Pelaez matched Roussin-Bouchard’s second round of 5-under 67 as the Gamecocks took control of the team race before finishing up with a 2-under 70.

   Lois Kaye Go, a senior from the Philippines who has been a stalwart for South Carolina, matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish among the group tied for 22^nd place at even-par 216. Kaye Go opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a 2-over 74 the Gamecocks were able to toss.

   Mathilde Claisse, another sophomore from France, was two shots behind Kaye Go in the group tied for 31^st place at 2-over 218 for the Gamecocks. Claisse struggled in the opening round with a 77 before posting respective rounds of 70 and 71 in the second and final rounds.

   A huge addition to the South Carolina lineup is Pimnipa Panthong, a native of Thailand who is No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR. Panthong was in the middle of some deep postseason runs at Kent State and decided to take her extra year of eligibility at South Carolina.

   Panthong’s experience was on display in the Moon as she opened with a 76 and added a 1-under 71 before matching par in the final round with a 72 that left her in the group tied for 37^th place at 3-over 219. All three of her rounds were counters for the Gamecocks.

   Alabama’s Mack had the best round of the day in Tuesday’s final round, a sparkling 6-under 66, to get her share of third place with South Carolina’s Pelaez.

   Florida State’s Charlotte Heath, a freshman from England, finished alone in fifth place at 7-under 209, a shot behind Pelaez and Mack. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Heath ripped off respective rounds of 3-under 69 and 4 under 68 in the second and final rounds.

   Heath’s teammate, Beatrice Wallin, a junior from Sweden and No. 15 in the Women’s WAGR, finished in a tie for sixth place with LSU’s Kendall Griffin, a senior from Sebring, Fla., each landing on 6-under 210. Wallin made a big move in Tuesday’s final round with a 5-under 67 that enabled her to climb the leaderboard. Griffin also finished strong with a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s final round.

   Illinois’ Isabel Sy, a freshman from San Gabriel, Calif., was another shot behind Wallin and Griffin in eighth place at 5-under 211. Sy’s best round was a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s opening round. She added a 1-over 73 before finishing up with a 2-under 70.

   Ingrid Linblad, a sophomore from Sweden and a spot ahead of Roussin-Bouchard in the Women’s WAGR at No. 3, gave LSU a third player in the top 10 as she finished alone in ninth place at 4-under 212, a shot behind Sy. After opening with a 73, Lindblad posted a 4-under 68 in Monday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 71.

   Florida’s Annabell Fuller, a sophomore from England and No. 46 in the Women’s WAGR, rounded out the top 10 as she finished alone in 10^th place at 3-under 213. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Fuller got it going in Monday’s second round to the tune of a 5-under 67 before closing with a 74.

   Fuller and Florida State’s Heath are among the 17 women on the Royal & Ancient’s preliminary list of candidates for the Great Britain & Ireland team for this summer’s rescheduled Curtis Cup Match at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales.

   Cleary has hit the ground running on a college career that was delayed at the start by the ACC’s decision to not allow its golfers to compete in the fall. She was the highest finisher in another strong showing by Virginia as she ended up in the group tied for 26^th place at 1-over 217. Cleary opened with a 3-over 75, but bounced back with back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds. All three rounds were counters for the Cavaliers.