NCAA Golf News

No. 3 Gamecocks Set to Open Spring Season Sunday on West Coast – University of South Carolina Athletics

No. 3 Gamecocks Set to Open Spring Season Sunday on West Coast – University of South Carolina Athletics

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. – No. 3 South Carolina opens the spring portion of its season on the west coast again starting Sunday at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge (Feb. 2-4). The Gamecocks are the defending champions of the event hosted annually by Ohio State.

This unique collegiate tournament was founded by Cathy (Hanlon) Marino, a member of the PVGC Hall of Fame, Therese Hession, former Director of Golf at The Ohio State University, and longtime PVGC member Sid Croft. Cathy and Therese were teammates on the Southern Methodist University women’s golf team, which won the National Championship in 1979, and fellow competitors on the LPGA. In 1995, while Marino was head coach at SMU and Hession was in her third year at Ohio State, they developed the idea of a ladies’ collegiate event in Southern California early in the year to kick off the 1996 spring season.

Hession retired after nearly 30 years as head coach and Director of Golf at The Ohio State University. In 2023, to honor Hession for her tremendous contribution to women’s collegiate golf, the tournament was renamed to the Therese Hession Regional Challenge.

Palos Verdes Golf Club, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, plays host to the tournament.

The Gamecock lineup will feature its two mainstay All-Americans in Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist. They will be joined by highly touted freshman Eila Galitsky, sophomore Vairana Heck and graduate Sophia Burnett. Sophomore Maylis Lamoure will compete as an individual.

South Carolina, the highest ranked team in the field this week via the latest Clippd Top-25, will be one of six top-10 teams competing at Palos Verdes.

Teams will play 54 holes over the course of three days with first round action getting underway Sunday. Live scoring will be available via Clippd. The Gamecocks will be paired with No. 4 Southern Cal, No. 6 Oregon and No. 7 Arizona State for the opening 18 holes. Burnett will be the first Carolina player off at 12 p.m. (ET) on hole one.

2025 Therese Hession Regional Challenge

  1. No. 7 Arizona State
  2. No. 8 Arizona
  3. Cal
  4. Cal Poly
  5. Clemson
  6. Florida
  7. Georgetown
  8. Miami
  9. Ohio State
  10. No. 6 Oregon
  11. Pepperdine
  12. No. 3 South Carolina
  13. No. 4 Southern Cal
  14. No. 5 Texas
  15. UCLA

2025 Theres Hession Regional Challenge Gamecock Lineup

1. Eila Galitsky

2. Louise Rydqvist

3. Variana Heck

4. Hannah Darling

5. Sophia Burnett

IND. Maylis Lamoure

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