Greeneville, Tenn. – Sophomore Tiffany Elam fired a 1-over-par 73 to lead the Anderson women's golf team into a three-way tie for third place following opening round action at the 2017 SAC Championship, which is being hosted by Tusculum at the 5,910-yard, par 72 Link Hills Country Club.
The host Pioneers posted an opening-round 298 and lead second-place Lincoln Memorial (300) by two strokes, with 11 shots separating first place from the eighth spot.
Tusculum is bidding for its third overall conference championship and first since claiming back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. The Lady Railsplitters are looking for their first league championship and lead Anderson (305), Coker (305) and Queens (305), the defending champion, by five shots. The 305 carded by the Trojans was the second-lowest opening round of the year for the Black and Gold – just three shots off a 302 in the first round of the Pfeiffer Invitational. Wingate (307) and Lenoir-Rhyne (307) are tied for sixth place entering Monday's second round.
Carson Newman, which won the team title two years ago, is in eighth place after posting a 309, with Catawba (322) holding the ninth spot. Newberry (328) and Mars Hill (387) round out the 11-team field.
Lincoln Memorial's Lise Malherbe leads the chase for individual medalist honors after firing a 1-under-par 71 and leads a group of five golfers, including Elam, by two shots. Three other golfers, including Lenoir-Rhyne's Abbey Hartsell, the SAC Player of the Year, are tied for seventh – three shots back of Malherbe.
Elam, a second-team all-conference honoree, is tied for second entering Monday's second round. The Alpharetta, Ga., native offset bogeys on the No. 1 hole and at No. 5 with birdies on the par 4 second hole and at No. 4 – also a par 4. She also bogeyed the par-3 No. 14 and No. 16, but rallied to birdie the 17th hole. Junior Riley Lovorn carded an opening-round 4-over-par 76 to share 13th place after notching three birdies on the day.
SAC Freshman of the Year, Kate Hill and sophomore Makalyn Poole each posted a pair of birdies en route to identical 6-over-par 78s and are locked in a six-way tie for 29th place. Sophomore Blake Hodges carded a first-round 84 and is tied for 44th place.
The second round of the three-day event is slated to get underway Monday morning at 8:30 a.m. Hodges is scheduled to tee off for the Trojans at 10 a.m.
3 Anderson 305 305 +17
T 2 Tiffany Elam 73 73 +1
T 13 Riley Lovorn 76 76 +4
T 29 Makalyn Poole 78 78 +6
T 29 Kate Hill 78 78 +6
T 44 Blake Hodges 84 84 +12
Pos. School Rnd 1 Total To Par
1 Tusculum 298 298 +10
2 Lincoln Memorial 300 300 +12
3 Anderson 305 305 +17
Coker 305 305 +17
Queens 305 305 +17
6 Lenoir-Rhyne 307 307 +19
Wingate 307 307 +19
8 Carson-Newman 309 309 +21
9 Catawba 322 322 +34
10 Newberry 328 328 +40
11 Mars Hill 387 387 +99
