Double delight for Hannah Darling as Scot nears end of college career

Hannah Darling will be signing off her US college career as a member of just the second University of Carolina team to win the SEC (Southeastern Conference) Championship.

The Gamecocks bridged a 23-year gap by landing the title at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, after beating Florida 4.5-0.5 in the final.

The sweet success came in Darling’s senior year, with the Broomieknowe player admitting earlier this month that she is set to turn professional at some point this year.

Hannah Darling, front centre, celebrates with her University of Carolina team-mates after winning the SEC Championship in Florida | Gamecocks

Darling has made no secret of the fact that she has loved her time at the Columbia campus and she will be delighted to be leaving in a few weeks’ time with a team triumph having been added to a brace of individual victories.

In the stroke-play qualifying phase of the SEC Championship, the Scottish No 1 opened with a joint-best-of-the-day 65 that contained seven birdies. She then added a 69 before signing off with a 74 to finish joint-seventh in the individual standings on two under.

Helped by Darling’s good work, the Gamecocks topped the team standings by six shots on 16 under, a tournament record, before then creating history as the first No 1 seed to claim the crown in the match-play phase.

They opened it with a hard-earned 3-2 win over Tennessee in the last eight before then crushing Ole Miss 4.5-0.5 in the semi-finals.

In the title decider, Darling fought back from being two down early on against Paula Francisco before getting her nose in front for just the second time in the match with a birdie-3 at the 17th. Her birdie attempt at the last then sat on the edge of the hole as Francisco birdied it to force extra holes.

The pair were playing the 19th when Swede Louise Rydqvist, Darling’s fellow senior, rolled in a 60-foot birdie putt on the 17th to win her match and clinch the title in style.

Hannah Darling shows off the SEC Championship trophy | Gamecocks

In addition to Darling and Rydqvist, Eila Galitsky, Sophia Burnett and Maylis Lamoure were the other members of the triumphant team led by four-time SEC Coach of the Year Kalen Anderson.

Next up for the Gamecocks is the NCAA Championship, which starts with regional events next week followed by the season finale at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, beginning 16 May.

Meanwhile, Darling and Rydqvist have both been recognised as being two of the best players in the University of South Carolina programme history by making the short list for this year’s ANNIKA Award.

They are among just 15 players to be picked as contenders for the annual Player of the Year Award in women’s collegiate golf and, of course, carrying the name of Annika Sorenstam.