ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University women's golf team will be looking for continued success in the mountains of the Peach State when the Trojans tee it up at the 8th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial, Monday and Tuesday, in Dahlonega, Ga.
North Georgia will play host to the two-day tourney at the Achasta Golf Club.
The 54-hole tournament (Par 72 – 5,934 Yards) is scheduled for 36 holes on Monday, followed by a final round of 18 on Tuesday. The course was named in 2020 as the No. 6 rated course in Golfweek's Best Courses You Can Play (Georgia), and has been home to UNG Golf since the programs started in 2009.
Achasta has also served as home of the PGA Tour's 2007-2008 AT&T Classic Qualifier, 2002-2006 Bell South Classic Open Qualifier, 2002 Georgia State Amateur Qualifier, 2003 US Open Qualifier and the 2004 Georgia State Mid-Am Qualifier.
Anderson won the team title in 2018, with Lee University claiming three championships – in 2015, 2017 and 2020. Shorter won the inaugural title in 2014, while Montevallo (2016) and Columbus State (2019) have also won tournament titles over the past five years. The event was changed from a 36-hole event to a 54-hole event beginning in 2020.
AU has not competed in the tourney since finishing first among 14 teams in 2018, with then-sophomore Anna Freeman firing a two-day, even-par 144 to lead the Trojans to the team title behind a school record second-round 287.
Freeman finished as runner-up by just two strokes in 2018, with then-freshman Kerington Lamb carding a career-best score for the second consecutive round and finishing in a tie for eighth place. Victoria Hall equaled her season-best two-round effort and claimed a share of 13th place at the 2018 event.
While the second-round 287 from three years ago still stands as the program benchmark, the 2021 edition of Trojan women's golf bested the two-round, 36-hole 584 from 2018 with a two-day 582 less than a week ago at the Patsy Rendleman Invitational in North Carolina.
The Trojans have enjoyed unprecedented success over the past two-plus seasons and are coming off a pair of stellar performances over the past four weeks. AU opened the year by finishing as runners-up in an incredibly strong field at the South Region Preview, then just last week, the Black and Gold ran away with the Patsy Rendleman Invitational title.
Four players – Jessica Rathbone, Hall, Lamb and Zoey Iglesias - have already carded below-par rounds this season, with Iglesias firing a school-record 5-under 67 while playing as an individual a week ago.
Rathbone paces a balanced squad with a 72.20 unadjusted stroke average through two tourneys, with Hall recording a 74.00 stroke average through the five rounds. Emma Charles are both close behind with 74.20 unadjusted stroke averages.
