South Carolina sophomore Pauline Roussin-Bouchard has had a stellar 2021 campaign which was highlighted by a career 54-hole low of 15-under par in the Valspar Augusta Invitational which gave her medalist honors. She followed that up with a tie for third in the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens.’
This week, Roussin-Bouchard returned to the Peach State for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and she ended up finishing tied for the third in the prestigous event. Playing in the final round on Saturday, Roussin-Bouchard shot a 2-under par 70 at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club. She would finish the 54-hole tournament at +2.
“We played the right areas on the greens,” Roussin-Bouchard said after her round.
“I don’t recall missing a lot of greens today. The few I missed, I chipped. I had some good chips. Overall, it’s a very, very good day. It’s not every day that you can play under par at Augusta National, so I’m satisfied with today.”
Her South Carolina teammate Ana Pelaez would finish 12th as she bounced back after a rough second round to notch birdies on holes three and five, finishing her front nine at 1-under. After a bogey on 12 brought her back to even the senior locked in, sinking a birdie on 15 and finishing the day at 1-under 71, and the tournament at 5-over for 12th place.
The Augusta National Women’s Amateur held its first two rounds at the Champions Retreat Golf Club which is just outside downtown Augusta. The golfers participated in a practice round at the Augusta National Golf Club on Friday with the final round held at the home of The Masters.
Roussin-Bouchard and Palaez will return to Coluimbia to get ready for the SEC Championship which tees off April 14.