ELGIN, S.C. – With sophomore Kate Hill just one shot off the pace and freshman Anna Freeman only two strokes further back, the Anderson women's golf team is in third place following opening-round action, Sunday at the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Championship.
The 36-hole tournament is being hosted by Newberry at the 5,830-yard, par-72 The Members Club at Woodcreek layout.
Nationally 15th-ranked Wingate leads No. 30 Tusculum by six strokes heading into Monday's opening round, with the Trojans just one shot behind the Pioneers. Lincoln Memorial and Queens share fourth place and trail AU by six strokes. Lenoir-Rhyne, the defending champion, is sixth.
Carson-Newman and Coker are tied for seventh, while the host Wolves are ninth, with Catawba and Mars Hill rounding out the 11-team field.
Tusculum's Cydney Murrell, Wingate's Warissa Puangcharoen and Queens' Cameron Smith are tied for first atop the leaderboard after each carded 3-over-par 75s on the day. Hill birdied the ninth hole and carded three birdies on the back nine to finish the first round with a 4-over-par 76 and is alone in fourth place. Seven additional golfers, including Freeman, are within three shots of the lead.
Freeman is in a six-way tie for sixth after posting a 6-over-par 78, while AU junior Samantha Ellison (80) and senior Riley Lovorn (83) are tied for 14th and 25th, respectively. Junior Tiffany Elam is tied for 36th after recording an 85 on Sunday.
Monday's second round is slated to get underway at 8:30 a.m.
Pos. School Rnd 1 To Par
1 Wingate 310 +22
2 Tusculum 316 +28
3 Anderson 317 +29
4 Queens 323 +35
Lincoln Memorial 323 +35
6 Lenoir-Rhyne 327 +39
7 Coker 330 +42
Carson Newman 330 +42
9 Newberry 333 +45
10 Catawba 338 +50
11 Mars Hill 379 +91
3 Anderson 317 317 +29
4 Kate Hill 76 76 +4
T 6 Anna Freeman 78 78 +6
T14 Samantha Ellison 80 80 +8
T25 Riley Lovorn 83 83 +11
T36 Tiffany Elam 85 85 +13
