How South Carolina women’s golf is approaching new season with new-look roster

With three top players moved on from the 2024-25 powerhouse team, perhaps this is the season to lower expectations for South Carolina’s women’s golf program.

Coach Kalen Anderson refuses to consider the idea.

“Consistent excellence” is her trademark, and she expects nothing less this season. But the path will be a little different.

“We have more developing to do this year,” Anderson said. “We’re young in places, but we have recruited well, and we will be where we need to be by the spring.”

The Gamecocks’ spring almost always ends in the national championship tournament. That’s been the team’s final destination in 14 of her 18 seasons at the helm.

Replacing the contributions of All-Americans Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist and steady Sophia Burnett presents an obvious challenge. Yet, Anderson called the Gamecocks “a top-15 team in my mind right now,” and the anticipated development suggests an upward climb. (The official NCAA rankings have not been released.)

Reasons for optimism start with sophomore Eila Galitsky, No. 4 in the women’s world amateur golf rankings. She joined USC for the 2025 spring season, ran off a string of top-five finishes and tied for medalist honors in the fall’s season opener.

“She’s dominant, and she’s only a freshman academically,” Anderson said. “She just has an unbelievable game.”

Juniors Maylis Lamoure and Vairana Heck, both ranked among the world’s top 225 women amateurs, bring experience to the lineup. Freshman Laura Nepper and junior transfer Alicia Olsson rounded out the lineup in the two fall tournaments to date.

Even though she knew her lineup would include three new players, Anderson continued with tough schedules. The two tournaments to date, the Annika Intercollegiate and the Jackson Stephens Cup, feature some of the strongest fields in women’s college golf.

USC finished sixth in the Annika and fifth in the Stephens Cup.

“We know we have to develop and gain experience on the course, and we know we have to be patient,” said Anderson, whose USC teams have won 32 tournaments through the years. “We just need time to grow.”

Olsson, who earned all-star honors at Campbell, bounced back from a poor performance in the Annika to tie for ninth (with Galitsky) in the Stephens Cup, and the performance illustrates the need for patience.

“Alicia is taking a step up in the level of competition, and she came back well,” Anderson said. “That’s what we’re talking about in being patient and gaining experience. The freshmen (Nepper, from France, and Molly McLean, from Australia) need to adjust both on and off the course.”

Anderson will know more about her team after two more fall tournaments. Anticipating that Galitsky and perhaps another player would be in the World Amateur in Singapore, she scheduled around that event and created a four-week gap between competitions.

“You don’t always have a veteran team, and this year we don’t,” she said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re lowering our expectations. We set the bar high.

“We played strong tournaments right off the bat. We held our own in the Stephens Cup and saw a lot of improvement. This is where we are now, and we know where we want to go.”

Chip shots. USC’s women wind up their fall with a pair of tournaments in North Carolina: the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel in Chapel Hill (Oct. 17-19) and the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington (Oct. 24-26). ... Colin Salema finished third individually and led Clemson’s men to the Marquette Invitational title at Erin Hills GC in Wisconsin. The Tigers led wire-to-wire in earning their first tourney win of the season and their fourth under coach Jordan Byrd. ... Connor Doyal (Charleston) fired a three-round total of 8-under-par 208 to claim the SCGA’s Mid-Amateur title at Rock Hill CC. Andy Mitchell (Greenville) and Rhett Smith (Rock Hill) shared second at 212. ... Tickets are now on sale for the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage presented by Boeing, set for April 16-19 at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island. Go online to www.rbcheritage.com for information or to purchase tickets. ... USC’s men begin a stretch of two tournaments within eight days on Monday to complete their fall season. The Gamecocks play in the Bryson Invitational at Daniel Island Club on Monday-Wednesday, then travel to Mississippi for the Fallen Oak Invitational that runs Oct. 18-20.

This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 9:05 AM with the headline "How South Carolina women’s golf is approaching new season with new-look roster."