South-Carolina
Haley sharpening contrasts with Trump in South Carolina
Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event on Feb. 19, 2024, in Camden, S.C. Haley has sharpened her attacks on former President Donald Trump, the GOP front-runner, as the two prepare to face off in South Carolina’s Republican primary on Feb. 24. AP
COLUMBIA, South Carolina — Nikki Haley is using the closing days of her South Carolina Republican primary matchup with Donald Trump to hone her argument that she is the lone remaining candidate who can unite Americans, despite the former president’s electoral wins thus far and his popularity in her home state.
It’s a tall order for Haley as South Carolina prepares to vote on Saturday. Trump’s 2016 primary win helped cement his front-runner status, and he boasts support from all of the state’s top elected leaders and all but one of its congressional Republicans.
But Haley has maintained that her ability to stick it out in the race, having outlasted a dozen also-ran candidates, means that she’s in it for the long haul. Her amped-up fundraising could keep her going despite her earlier losses to Trump.
READ: Bruised and betrayed, Nikki Haley defies Trump juggernaut
Part of Haley’s argument is her continued showcase of her foreign policy knowhow, having served as Trump’s United Nations ambassador for two years, as more and more of her campaign appearances feature areas in which she says she would have acted differently than her former boss.
“I will absolutely put the hammer on our NATO countries that they do have to carry their weight, but you do that behind closed doors,” Haley said Sunday during a town hall on Fox News with John Roberts, broadcast from a venue in downtown Columbia, South Carolina.
It was a reference to Trump’s warning to NATO allies during a campaign rally earlier this month that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” — nations that in his view are not doing their part in that alliance. NATO’s leader said Trump’s attacks on long-standing international alliances and foreign aid could undermine security and put American and European forces at risk.
“We should make sure we tell our partners it’s in their best interest to hold their own weight,” Haley said Sunday. She said “Trump did it by saying he was going to encourage Putin to invade our allies. That’s the wrong way.”
She sharpened those comments during a Monday morning campaign stop in the central South Carolina city of Sumter, home to an Air Force base as well as many military veterans. She said Trump is “siding with a thug” in Vladimir Putin, whom she called “a dictator who killed his political opponents.”
READ: Haley challenges Trump on her home turf in South Carolina
It’s an argument she makes in a new television ad, part of a $6 million advertising flurry Haley has released in the final weeks of the campaign across her state.
In “Unite,” which begins airing Monday and was shared before its launch with The Associated Press, Haley argues she is the only choice among the remaining candidates who can handle disputes with foreign leaders in a way that will keep America on solid footing abroad.
“When your enemies think you’re weak, your leader must be strong,” a narrator says, over images of foreign leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin. “When your country is divided, your president must unite us.”
The ad argues that Haley “provided moral clarity during our darkest hours,” over headlines from coverage of the racist slaying of nine Black parishioners at a Charleston church in 2015, during Haley’s second term as South Carolina governor. “What’s next? That’s up to you.”
Saying Sunday — as she has throughout her campaign — that she’s “OK being the underdog now,” Haley has been firm in saying that she has never lost a race and believes voters will see her as the right choice to shift away from the ”chaos” she says follows Trump. She also frequently notes that, while Trump has won the earliest contests, she has been ascendant, pointing to the shrinking margins between her totals and Trump‘s in the Iowa and New Hampshire contests.
But over the weekend, Haley also began making an appeal to South Carolinians who typically vote in Democratic primaries, for Saturday’s vote, a message she also echoed during campaign events on Monday.
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She noted that anyone who didn’t vote in the Feb. 3 Democratic primary — which attracted under 5% of eligible voters statewide — can vote in this one, as she bid for crossover support from people who want to cast a vote against Trump.
All that separated Connor Doyal from the biggest win of his amateur golfing career was 5 feet of perfectly manicured green on Hole No. 18 at Naples National Golf Club. That plus a super-sized case of the yips.
“My hands were shaking uncontrollably,” said the 26-year-old mid-amateur from Charleston, South Carolina. “But I’ve had some moments like this before, and I think I’ve just learned to let it happen and not fight it. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best stroke of my life, but in the moment, I just had to trust myself to make the putt.”
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Just as he had for much of the third and final round of the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational, Doyal delivered, dropping in the putt to win the event by one stroke over 17-year-old junior golfer Dawson Lew of Toronto, Canada.
Connor Doyal, a 26-year-old mid-amateur golfer from Charleston, S.C., celebrates with the trophy after winning the 30th annual Terra Cotta Invitational on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Doyal, who entered the day two shots behind co-leaders Giuseppe Puebla of Royal Palm Beach and University of Florida senior Parker Bell, shot 5-under 67 to finish 12-under, two shots off the low-scoring record for the 54-hole tournament.
“Honestly, I just hit the ball fantastic start to finish,” Doyal said. “I hit a ton of greens and then the putter started heating up. I woke up feeling good this morning, and I knew I had it in me.
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“Coming down the stretch, I had to battle. I’m just glad it’s over. I mean, the heart rate is still extremely high right now.”
Doyal had seven birdies in his final round, the best of which came on the par-4 No. 14. He used his six-iron to blast his second shot 220 yards to within inches of the cup, setting up a short putt that gave him a one-shot lead over Bell.
Doyal followed with a birdie on No. 15 to up his lead to two strokes, but made things interesting by shorting a putt on No. 17 for bogey.
Playing in a group just ahead of Doyel, Lew missed a 35-foot try for birdie on the par-5 No. 18 a smidge left to finish at 11-under after a final round 68.
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Clinging to that one-shot lead on No. 18, an admittedly amped-up Doyal nearly overshot the green on his third shot from about 80 yards out, the ball settling on the back fringe. He followed with a deft chip, setting up his tournament-winning putt.
“It was a little bit nervy there, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Doyal said. “I’m always going to be able to look back at that up and down on 18 and be like I have what it takes when the pressure is on.”
Widely regarded as one of the best amateur events for junior golfers in the country, the Terra Cotta’s field included nearly the entirety of the top 25 in the Rolex American Junior Golf rankings. That included Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, who was gunning for an unprecedented third consecutive Terra Cotta championship. The 18-year-old Vanderbilt commit came up short in his quest, finishing 3-under and in a tie for 21st place.
“I started off pretty bad, just kind of had a weird first day,” said Colton, who opened with a 2-over 74. “Nothing was going my way. But I was pretty happy with the way I ended it.”
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Colton said the Terra Cotta is one of his favorite events of the season.
“You’ve got a great field and obviously an amazing course,” he said. “I think that’s why everybody wants to come and play at this tournament.”
Another top junior was a late and unreported entry to the Terra Cotta. Charlie Woods, son of golfing great Tiger Woods, got off to a rough start with an opening round 79, but shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish in a tie for 42nd place with a 3-over 219.
Among the five Naples-area competitors, former Gulf Coast High School standout and current University of Florida golfer Noah Kent had the best showing. The 20-year-old finished with a 2-over 218 for the tournament, placing him in a tie for 34th. The other local entrants were Spencer Ives (220), Brian Bassett (222), Jack Ryan Donovan (224), and Kaden Latrielle (229).
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Contact Sports Reporter Dan DeLuca at ddeluca@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Connor Doyal wins Florida amateur event, Charlie Woods ties for 42nd
Columbia, Mo. — The South Carolina softball team (25-21, 4-13) dropped the second game of its series at Missouri (24-23, 7-10) 5-0 Saturday night (Apr. 18).
Kai Byars led the Gamecocks with a pair of doubles on the night. It was her second multi-hit game of the season and her first game with multiple extra base hits.
The Tigers scored a run in the third inning without the aid of a hit. They would extend the lead and add four more in the fourth.
Carolina’s best opportunity for a run came in third. Byars doubled to lead off the inning and Shae Anderson followed with a bunt single. A double play on a potential sacrifice fly ended the rally.
Emma Friedel (8-4) took the loss, allowing one run on no hits in 3 1-3 innings. She struck out six and walked three.
The rubber game of the series will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET.
Audi Crooks on being in the transfer portal
USAT’s Sam Cardona-Norberg catches up with college basketball star Audi Crooks, who is still looking for her next team.
Sports Seriously
Jordan Lee entered the transfer portal after a breakout season at Texas and the junior guard isn’t going too far. She’s staying in the Southeastern Conference.
Lee announced on Instagram Friday that she’s transferring to South Carolina to play for Dawn Staley after spending the first two years of her collegiate career at Texas under Vic Schaefer. Lee captioned her Instagram post, which featured a video montage of her visit to Columbia, South Carolina, “Feeling cocky.”
Lee was one of four players from Texas to enter the transfer portal after the Longhorns’ second consecutive trip to the Final Four ended in a devastating loss to UCLA. She was named to the All-Region team in the Fort Worth 3 bracket in this year’s NCAA Tournament following her Sweet 16 and Elite Eight performance, where she recorded 22 points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals while also providing strong defense.
After being limited to five starts her freshman year, Lee slid into the starting lineup last season and started a career-high 38 games. She also averaged career highs in points (13.2), assists (2.5), rebounds (2.5), steals (1.5), field-goal percentage (42%) and free-throw percentage (75%), while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Texas’ Aaliyah Crump, Justice Carlton and Aaliyah Moore also entered the transfer portal. On Friday, Crump announced she’s transferring to Duke, citing her connection with head coach Kara Lawson.
“For me, choosing Duke University goes far beyond one sentence. The moment I connected with Kara Lawson and her coaching staff, I knew I was exactly where I belonged,” said Crump, who averaged 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game her freshman season at Texas.
Crump continued: “Their dedication and vision for the program is truly special, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. The connection Coach Lawson and I have built is one of a kind, and I fully trust in her plan for the success of this program. I can’t wait to be coached by genuine people who support my growth not only as a basketball player, but as a person as well.”
Three-time All-American Madison Booker and junior starting forward Breya Cunningham are expected to return to Texas.
Contributing: Mitchell Northam
Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at @CydHenderson.
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