Upstate Set For Winthrop Intercollegiate

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Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate head coach Todd Lawton saw some very encouraging signs from the women's golf team in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate, including the emergence of Rachel Lewis as a leader on the course for the Spartans. He hopes to use the momentum gained from the tournament this weekend when Upstate makes the short trip to Rock Hill, S.C., to take part in the Winthrop Intercollegiate at the Rock Hill Country Club Saturday and Sunday.

The Winthrop Intercollegiate will be 36 holes with 18 holes played each day. The Rock Hill Country Club is a par 72, 5,900-yard layout.

Upstate has made three-straight appearances in the Winthrop Intercollegiate, though the three previous tournaments have been conducted in the spring. Upstate finished ninth in last year's spring event. Johanna Ebenhag is the only current Spartan to have played in the Winthrop Intercollegiate at the Rock Hill Country Club.

In addition to Upstate and Winthrop, The Citadel, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian College, Radford, St. Francis, Towson and Wofford will play in the nine-team event. The first teams will tee off Saturday at 11:00 am with the final round beginning at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

Lawton will send the lineup of Lewis, Amanda Hall, Johanna Ebenhag, Taylor Pleier and Summer Wall into action at the Winthrop Intercollegiate this weekend. Lewis had a standout performance in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate the last time out. The freshman from Llanishen, Wales, broke two program records en route to her first top 10 finish. She opened the tournament with a 3-under 69 to break the single-round school record by three strokes. She also totaled an even-par 144 total to break the 36-hole tournament record by five shots.

Looking Back At The Great Smokies Intercollegiate
Rachel Lewis opened with a school record 69 in the first round and totaled an even-par 144 to break Upstate's 36-hole scoring record to claim a ninth-place finish in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. Upstate claimed a No. 20 finish in the 24-team event after carding back-to-back 310 totals. Four of the five Spartans in the lineup posted rounds in the mid-70's in the tournament. Amanda Hall was solid with rounds of 77 and 76 to finish as the second-lowest Spartan in the event.

Lewis, Wall Solid In Great Smokies Intercollegiate
With just three returning players from last year on this year's team, Upstate head coach Todd Lawton has had to rely on five freshman to play key roles on the team. He started four freshman in the lineup in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate. Two of the freshman led the way with Rachel Lewis finishing ninth with a school record 36-hole, 144 total. Amanda Hall was the second-lowest Spartan with two rounds in the 70's.

Getting On Track
While the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort would not be confused with the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass, the course the Spartans played in the JU Labor Day Shootout, the work turned in by Upstate in the Great Smokies Intercollegiate was an exceptional turnaround. Upstate posted a round of 354 in the first round at Sawgrass and stood at 183 through nine holes in the second round when the tournament was shortened to 27 holes. In the Great Smokies Intercollegiate, Upstate lowered its 18-hole totals to 310 and 310, 44 strokes off of the opening round in the TPC Sawgrass. Anytime a team can trim 44 strokes off of its score from one tournament to the next is certainly a positive sign.

Tweet, Tweet - Birdies On The Island Green
Whether you are a professional golfer, part of a collegiate team, or an everyday duffer, playing the famed par-3 island green 17th at the TPC Sawgrass is exhilarating. It is also more than a challenge. However, Spartans Johanna Ebenhag and Summer Wall, both seniors, birdied the famed hole in the JU Labor Day Shootout.

Looking At The Newcomers
Head coach Todd Lawton has no choice but to rely on the five freshman who are starting their collegiate careers this fall. Though young and inexperienced, the group has a bevy of achievement on the high school and junior golf circuits. Local product Taylor Pleier was an all-state player and was a key member of the juggernaut Dorman High School program that is consistently one of the top two programs in the state. Amanda Hall, who is from Fort Mill, was also an all-state selection and helped lift her Fort Mill High School club to the most success it has had in the history of the program. Rachel Lewis may have the most difficult transition to make as any of the freshmen, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from her native Wales to play at Upstate. She is the reigning Welsh Girls' Champion and a member of the Welsh Girls' National Team that plays internationally. Madison Bryant (Chapin) and Lucia Oelsner (Mauldin HS) had solid careers as well.

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