KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Paced by a season-low 71 from senior Jake Miller, the Anderson University men's golf team is tied for 11th place, following first-round action Monday at the Kiawah Island Invitational, which is being hosted by USC Aiken at the 6,902 yard, par-72 Osprey Point Golf Course.
"Given this was the strongest field we will see all year, and the 15-20 mph winds, I am very pleased with our score and position after day one," said Anderson head coach Danny Neal. "The challenge will be to follow this round with a solid performance tomorrow. If we can do that, I believe we will have a good finish and some momentum to build on going in to our next event at North Georgia."
The host Pacers lead the two-day event by three strokes over second-place Valdosta State, with Lander and Mount Olive sharing third place – three shots further back. Clayton State holds the fifth slot, while Southern Wesleyan is sixth. West Georgia is in seventh place following Monday's opening round, with Lee University holding the eighth spot.
Lenoir-Rhyne and Rollins share ninth place, with the Trojans just one stroke behind. Limestone, Erskine and Georgia College are deadlocked in 12th place, while Columbus State, Fayetteville State, Eckerd College and Chowan round out the 18-team field.
Lander's Jon Parker (66) leads the chase for individual medalist honors by one shot over Valdosta State's Davis Smith (67). Seven additional players share third place, just two strokes off the pace set by Parker, with a trio of golfers only three shots behind.
Miller's season-best one-under 71 places him in an eight-way tie for 18th, with freshman Reece Coleman sharing 25th place after carding an even-par 72. Another freshman, Caleb Henson, fired a two-over-par 74 and sits in a tie for 39th place, while freshman Anthony Sutton posted a five-over-par 77 and shares 63rd place entering Tuesday's final round. Senior Brady Cox rounded out the Trojan contingent by firing a nine-over-par 81 and is tied for 81st place.
The Trojans are scheduled to start at 9:50 a.m. from the 10th tee in Tuesday's final round.
Kiawah Island Invitational
Round 1 Results
Team Totals
1 USC Aiken 276 -12
2 Valdosta State 279 -9
3 Lander 282 -6
Mount Olive 282 -6
5 Clayton State 285 -3
6 Southern Wesleyan 287 -1
7 West Georgia 290 +2
8 Lee 292 +4
9 Lenoir-Rhyne 293 +5
Rollins College 293 +5
11 Anderson 294 +6
12 Limestone 295 +7
Erskine 295 +7
Georgia College 295 +7
15 Columbus State 297 +9
16 Fayetteville State 308 +20
17 Eckerd College 313 +25
18 Chowan 317 +29
