HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Paced by senior Tiffany Elam's tournament-leading even-par-72, the Anderson women's golf team leads the Coker Invitational, following opening-round action Monday on the 5,828 yard, par-72 Hartsville Country Club layout.
AU leads the host Cobras by five shots entering Tuesday's final round, with Barton one stroke further back in third place. Young Harris is in fourth place, while Columbus State and Lincoln Memorial are fifth and sixth, respectively. Converse occupies the seventh slot, with Belmont Abbey in eighth place following Monday's first round.
Southern Wesleyan and Erskine are deadlocked in ninth place, with North Greenville, King, Franklin Pierce and Mars Hill rounding out the 14-team field.
Elam is at the top of the leaderboard, alongside Lincoln Memorial's Lise Malherbe and Coker's Alyssa Campbell. The trio were the only golfers to reach par during Monday's opening round and they lead Limestone's Hailey Cleary and Young Harris' Emma Andersson by two strokes.
Freshman Victoria Hall and Junior Kate Hill each fired a 5-over-par 77 and are locked in a four-way tie for ninth place, while sophomore Anna Freeman shares 13th place after carding a first-round 78. Freshman Kerrington Lamb is tied for 20th place following a 79 on Monday.
Senior Samantha Ellison is in a four-way tie for 49th, with senior Makalyn Poole rounding out the Trojan contingent in a tie for 61st after notching an 87.
With Erskine tied for ninth place, the Trojans are poised to add to their 6-2 lead in the battle for the coveted Beville Cup and would be only one point away from clinching their seventh straight Cup Championship and ninth in 10 years.
The second round is slated to get underway Tuesday morning at 9 a.m.
1 Team Scores
1 Anderson 304 +16
2 Coker 309 +21
3 Barton 310 +22
4 Young Harris 312 +24
5 Columbus State 316 +28
6 Lincoln Memorial 325 +37
7 Converse 328 +40
8 Belmont Abbey 329 +41
T9 Southern Wesleyan 334 +46
T9 Erskine 334 +46
11 North Greenville 335 +47
12 King 336 +48
13 Franklin Pierce 337 +49
14 Mars Hill 339 +51