CAMDEN, S.C. – Led by senior Reece Coleman's two-round, 1-under-par 139, the nationally seventh-ranked Anderson University men's golf team is in second place following the first two rounds of action, Monday at the Camden Collegiate, which is being hosted by Limestone on a 6,455 yard, par-70 Camden Country Club layout.
"On a day where the course played tough with gusty winds and challenging greens, our men were able to land us in second place," said Anderson Director of Golf Danny Neal. "We are only three strokes behind Coker going into tomorrow's final round. Reece and Calahan continue to shine and Simon counted both rounds today with a steady performance. Alejandro also played well and Parker had a good comeback round of 73 to end his day. The team is looking forward to competing tomorrow for our third tournament win in a row."
The two-day, 54-hole event features a trio of teams ranked in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Top-25, along with four teams that received votes in last Friday's poll.
AU carded a first-round 288 and finished in a four-way tie atop the team leaderboard at the end of the opening round, with another four teams within just three shots of the top. The Trojans shaved six strokes off that score in Monday's second round and head into Tuesday's final round just three shots behind unranked Coker.
Shorter, which also entered Monday's first round unranked, is one shot further back in third place, with No. 19 USC Aiken and No. 10 Limestone sharing the fourth spot.
Erskine and Flagler, which both received votes in last week's poll, are sixth and seventh entering Tuesday's final round, with Newberry, Belmont Abbey and Young Harris rounding out the 10-team field.
Coker's Jonathan Hallinger (70-65=135) carded an impressive second-round 5-under-par 65 and holds a two-stroke edge on Shorter's Jean Louis du Plessis, who posted a 3-under 137 on the day. Coleman (71-68=139) is two strokes further back in a tie for third, alongside Belmont Abbey's Jack Warren (67-72=139). Erskine's Tom Bastow (72-68=140) and USC Aiken's Erik Olin (70-70=140) are just five strokes out of the top spot.
Coleman offset four bogeys on the day with five birdies, including four in the second round, with his 2-under 68 matching his third-lowest round of the season. Junior Calahan Keever moved up seven spots in the second round and shares ninth place with Limestone's Gage Carnes (70-72=142). The Greenville native carded seven birdies on Monday, including three on the front nine in the second round to go along with nine bogeys on the day.
Sophomore Simon Wright is in a five-way deadlock for 13th place, while freshman Alejandro de Castro is one shot further back in a tie for 18th place. Junior Daniel Coker, playing as an individual, shares 25th place, with senior Parker MacDonald heading into Tuesday's final 18 holes in a tie for 47th place. Freshman Sam Norris, also competing as an individual, is tied for 54th following his first collegiate action.
Tuesday's final round is slated to get underway at 9 a.m.
Notables
• The Trojans are bidding for their third straight tournament championship.
• AU's second-round 282 matched the fifth-lowest round in program history.
2 Anderson 288 282 570
T3 Reece Coleman 71 68 139
T9 Calahan Keever 72 70 142
T13 Simon Wright 73 71 144
T18 Alejandro de Castro 72 73 145
T25 Daniel Coker 76 71 147
T47 Parker MacDonald 80 73 153
T54 Sam Norris 77 78 155
Teams Scores
1 Coker 288 279 567 +7
2 Anderson 288 282 570 +10
3 Shorter 288 283 571 +11
T4 USC Aiken 289 288 577 +17
T4 Limestone 291 286 577 +17
6 Erskine 290 291 581 +21
7 Flagler 288 294 582 +22
8 Newberry 301 288 589 +29
9 Belmont Abbey 290 303 593 +33
10 Young Harris 309 289 598 +38
