ANDERSON, S.C. – Following an incredible run of four consecutive first-place finishes against top-notch competition during the fall, the Anderson University men's golf team is scheduled to open their spring slate at Lincoln Memorial's Kick-off Intercollegiate, which will be hosted by the Railsplitters at the St. Johns Golf and Country Club in St. Augustine, Fla.
The 54-hole, two-day event will feature a par-72, 7,136-yard layout, with 36 holes on Monday and the final round slated for Tuesday.
Among the schools that will join the No. 1 Trojans and No. 21 Lincoln Memorial at the two-day tournament are Belmont Abbey, Catawba, Coker, Columbus State, Flagler, No. 12 Georgia Southwestern, King, Lander, Lenoir-Rhyne, No. 24 Limestone, Lynn, Newberry, No. 9 North Georgia, Palm Beach Atlantic and Wingate.
AU, which is tops in the nation in both the Golfstat and Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Polls, set a school record by winning four consecutive tournament titles last fall – the North Georgia Intercollegiate, Columbus State's Cougar Invitational, the Camden Collegiate and the Currahee Collegiate.
The 2022-23 Trojans already own the top two and three of the top four 54-hole scores in program history, after setting the school-record (846) at North Georgia's Mizuno Intercollegiate and then nearly matching it with their three-round 847 at the Camden Collegiate just two weeks earlier. They also own the top three 36-hole scores, with their second- and third-round 559 at Camden setting a new school benchmark.
The have also recorded or matched six of the top eight single-round marks in program history, with the Trojans' third-round 277 at Camden matching the second-lowest single round in school history – behind just their school-record second-round 275 at Columbus State.
This week marks the fifth consecutive year that the Trojans have opened the season at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate after claiming fourth place among 22 teams behind a strong finish a year ago.
Reece Coleman fired a three-round, 3-under-par 213 and finished as runner-up a year ago, while Calahan Keever carded three consecutive 1-over-par 73s to capture fourth place, with the duo pacing the squad last February. Simon Wright finished in a three-way tie for 67th, with Parker MacDonald finishing in a tie for 83rd, while Daniel Coker wrapped up the tournament in a tie for 87th.
Senior Reece Coleman, who is currently ranked seventh nationally, paces the team with a 70.25 unadjusted stroke average and claimed South Atlantic Conference Golfer of the Week accolades in early October. He narrowly missed out on capturing his third career title at the Camden Collegiate after finishing alone in third place by just one stroke and finished as runner-up at Columbus State - with his second-round 65 marking the third-lowest round in school history. So far this year, the Port Elizabeth, South Africa, native has posted the third-, fourth- and fifth-lowest three-round scores in program history.
Junior Calahan Keever, who is tabbed 13th nationally, was named the SAC Golfer of the Week in September after matching Coleman's school record with a 54-hole, 10-under-par 206 at the Mizuno Intercollegiate and finishing tied at the top of the leaderboard. He owns a 70.42 unadjusted stroke average and has not finished lower than 11th this season.
Sophomore Simon Wright has a 73.11 stroke average and shared 14th place in each of his final two tournaments last fall, while firing a season-best, 1-under 69 at the Cougar Invitational. Freshman Alejandro de Castro has posted a 73.25 stroke average through a dozen rounds and finished seventh at Camden after matching the eighth-best single round in school history with a 3-under 67.
Daniel Coker finished 18th at Camden, while matching his career low with a second-round, 1-over-par 71 and owns a 74.33 stroke average after finished in a tie for 42nd at the Currahee Collegiate. Senior Parker MacDonald also posted a 74.33 stroke average during the fall and did not finish lower than 34th, while sharing 11th place at the Currahee Collegiate. He carded a career-low 1-under 71 at the Mizuno Intercollegiate and again in the second round of the Currahee Collegiate. Freshman Sam Norris claimed a share of 44th place, while notching a third-round 74 at the Camden Intercollegiate.
