DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Behind the third-lowest single-round and two-round scores in program history, and with five players among the top 12 on the day, the Anderson women's golf team leads the 9th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial following Monday's first 36 holes.
North Georgia is hosting the two-day, 54-hole tournament on a 5,934 yard, par-72 Achasta Golf Club layout.
"I was really proud of the girls today," said Anderson Head Women's Coach Denton Moore. "The rough was extremely thick, and the girls stayed smart and consistent all day long. They kept the ball in front of them and when we did get in trouble, they took their medicine and stayed away from anything over bogey. We have really made it a point to make sure we don't make worse than bogey this year. Double-bogey avoidance is a big deal out here."
The Trojans are facing yet another talent-laden field, with thirteen schools in the 16-team field either ranked or receiving votes in the latest Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Top-25.
The nationally sixth-ranked Trojans had a four-stroke lead over ninth-ranked Lee following the first round and increased their cushion to six shots at the end of 36 holes. Nationally fourth-ranked Findlay is nine shots further back in third place, with No. 11 Limestone holding the fourth spot. No. 17 Columbus State and West Florida are fifth and sixth, respectively, heading into Tuesday's final round, with Wingate in seventh place. No. 22 Florida Southern slipped five spots during the second round and occupies the eighth slot, while No. 24 Carson-Newman and the host Nighthawks share ninth place.
UNC Pembroke, No. 20 Lander, Lincoln Memorial, Lenoir-Rhyne, Converse and West Georgia rounded out the 16-team field.
Anderson junior Jessica Rathbone (69-73=142), the reigning SAC Golfer of the Week, is tied for first place and is bidding for her second title in as many tournaments after winning Lee's City with Spirit Classic two weeks ago.
The Montpelier, Va., native offset three bogeys in the opening round by carding a half-dozen birdies, including two on her final three holes of the round. She added five more birdies in the second round and shares first place with Lee's Hannah Nall (71-71=142), Wingate's Hailey McLaughlin (68-74=142) and Limestone's Karla Lagerstrom (75-67=142) who climbed 25 spots up the leaderboard in the second round after firing a 5-under-par 67 over the second 18 holes.
Lagerstrom's 67 was just one stroke off the tournament record, which is shared by North Georgia's Megan Sabol (2019) and West Georgia's Ainsley Cowart (2021).
Trojan sophomore Kennedy McGaha is tied for ninth place, alongside freshman Aly Francis. Grad student Kerington Lamb and sophomore Zoey Iglesias are each one shot further back in a four-way tie for 12th place. Freshman Kennedy Gooding vaulted 34 spots up the leaderboard and is tied for 40th place after firing a season-low, 1-under 71 during Monday's second round.
"We had six girls all shoot 73 or better today in the second round and that was awesome to see," added Moore. "I can't tell you how proud of Kennedy Gooding I was today. She had a really tough opening round and we needed her to bounce back badly. She did that and more. An awesome -1, 71 from her to close the day. Jessica was outstanding from start to finish today. Kennedy McGaha, Kerington Lamb, and Zoey Iglesias were all just ultra consistent today. All three shot between 72 and 74 both rounds. It's always nice to know your veterans are playing consistent. Aly Francis was fantastic in her debut in the lineup today. 73-72 when the team was depending on her to show up was big. Just really proud of the effort all the way around today. We are far from done. We have a lot of work to do to bring home the win tomorrow. For me though, the most important thing is to just get off to a good start. Whether we win or not, I just want the girls to come out and execute, and stay emotionally controlled like they were today. If we do that, I'll be happy with whatever the result is."
Tuesday's final round is slated to get underway at 8:30 a.m.
Notables
• Rathbone's first-round 69 matched the seventh-best single-round score in program history.
• AU's second-round 287 matched the third-lowest 18-holes in program history.
• AU's first-round 289 matched the seventh-lowest 18-holes in program history.
• The Trojans' first- and second-round 576 matches the third-lowest 36-hole score in school history
• Rathbone's first- and second-round 142 matches the sixth-lowest 36-hole score in school history.
• AU is bidding for its second LeeAnn Noble Memorial Championship.
• The Trojans finished fourth a year ago in their first appearance since winning the team title in 2018.
• Kennedy McGaha fired the fifth-lowest round in program history with a 4-under-par 68 in the final round a year ago.
• McGaha and Jessica Rathbone each carded the fourth-best 54-hole score (215) in school history on the course a year ago.
• Lee University has claimed three LeeAnn Noble Championships (2015, 2017 and 2020).
• Shorter won the inaugural title in 2014, while Montevallo (2016), Columbus State (2019) and Limestone (2021) have also won the tournament titles over the past six years.
1 Anderson 289 287 576
T1 Jessica Rathbone (1) 69 73 142
T9 Kennedy McGaha (2) 73 72 145
T9 Aly Francis (4) 73 72 145
T12 Kerington Lamb (5) 74 72 146
T12 Zoey Iglesias 73 73 146
T40 Kennedy Gooding (3) 82 71 153
Teams Scores
1 Anderson 289 287 576 E
2 Lee 293 289 582 +6
3 Findlay 298 293 591 +15
4 Limestone 301 292 593 +17
5 Columbus St. 304 293 597 +21
6 West Florida 306 293 599 +23
7 Wingate 304 300 604 +28
8 Florida Southern 296 309 605 +29
T9 Carson-Newman 304 304 608 +32
T9 North Georgia 308 300 608 +32
11 UNC Pembroke 305 305 610 +34
12 Lander 311 302 613 +37
13 Lincoln Memorial 304 310 614 +38
14 Lenoir-Rhyne 311 305 616 +40
15 Converse 311 314 625 +49
16 West Georgia 324 317 641 +6
