ANDERSON, S.C. – With a pair of top-three finishes in the record books over the past three weeks, the No. 5 Anderson women's golf team is set to compete in the Emerald Coast Classic on Monday and Tuesday.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be hosted by Missouri – St. Louis at the Baytowne Golf Club (Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort) in Destin, Fla., on a par-71, 5,900 yard layout.
In addition to the fifth-ranked Trojans and the host Tritons, the 15-team field is expected to include Lindenwood, No. 24 Central Missouri, Central Oklahoma, Henderson State, Harding, Rend Lake, Arkansas Tech, Arkansas–Ft. Smith, UT-Tyler, No. 12 Lee, No. 4 Nova Southeastern, Oklahoma Baptist and Truman State.
The Trojans, who have grown accustomed to finishing at or near the top of the leaderboard, have not finished lower that fourth this year and own the Patsy Rendleman title and runner-up finishes at both the South Region Preview and the Flagler Fall Slam against some of the strongest fields in the nation.
Sophomore Jessica Rathbone leads a well-balanced squad with a 73.25 unadjusted stroke average across six tournaments, while posting a season-low 69 in the third round of the South Region Preview on the way to a second-place finish. The Montpelier, Va., native also finished as runner-up at the Fall Slam. Freshman Kennedy McGaha owns a 74.25 unadjusted stroke average and owns a round of 68 (LeeAnn Noble Memorial), along with a pair of 69s – at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial and at the Lady Moc Classic. McGaha has a pair of top-10 finishes this season and hasn't finished lower than 19th.
Senior Victoria Hall has posted a 74.94 stroke average through 16 rounds, while notching a season-low 71 in the opening round of the Patsy Rendleman. Senior Kerington Lamb has a 75.21 stroke average and fired a school record 66 in the third round of the Lady Moc Classic on the way to a runner-up finish.
Freshman Zoey Iglesias has competed in four tourneys (11 rounds) and owns a 75.27 average, while notching the team's second lowest round of the year with a 67 in the second round of the Patsy Rendleman. The Port St. Lucie, Fla., native has three top-25 performances on her resume this year, including taking home third place at the Rendleman.
Junior Emma Charles (76.31 average) carded a season-low 69 and a 71 at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial to go along with a 71 in the first round of the year at the South Region Preview and owns three top-25 performances, with Freeman owning a 76.54 stroke average after firing a season-low 71 last month at the Lady Moc Classic. The Aiken. S.C., native has not finished lower than 23rd in her last four tourneys.
Two weeks ago, Rathbone paced the Trojans to a third-place showing at Limestone's Low Tide Intercollegiate with a fifth-place finish, while McGaha claimed a share of 15th place, alongside Hall. Lamb finished with a share of 17th place, with Freeman in a tie for 23rd place. Iglesias finished in a tie for 32nd place and Charles rounded out the Trojan contingent in a tie for 36th place.
This week will mark AU's first trip to the Emerald Coast Classic.
