ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of a regular season that included six tournament titles, including five straight at one point, the Anderson men's golf team is set to compete at the 2023 South Atlantic Conference Championship.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament begins Sunday morning and concludes Tuesday afternoon at the Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, N.C. over a par-72, 6,605 yard course. Tee times will begin at 8:30 a.m. all three days, with 18 holes being played each day.
AU posted its highest finish since joining the SAC with a fourth-place showing in 2012, with Calahan Keever setting the school record for a SAC Tournament appearance with a 54-hole 209 last season, while finishing in a tie for sixth place a year ago. Former standout Jake Miller previously owned the school record for a SAC Tournament appearance with a 54-hole 212, while finishing as runner-up in 2018. Adam Sheriff posted an even-par 213 in the 2008 Conference Carolinas championship.
The event has produced six different champions over the past 11 seasons, with Queens winning the title for the second time in three years in 2022. No. 13 Lincoln Memorial is looking to claim its fifth overall championship and second in three seasons, but standing the Railsplitters and the title are the top-ranked Trojans and 12th-ranked Carson-Newman, which is also seeking its fifth SAC Championship and first since winning back-to-back conference crowns in 2017 and 2018. Newberry and Catawba have each taken home the hardware on three occasions, with the Wolves seeking their first title since 2011 and the Indians last winning the title in 1999.
Presbyterian claimed the tourney championship a record seven times before moving to NCAA D-I status, while Elon won the event five times (1990-1994).
After the pandemic canceled the 2020 SAC Championship, Lincoln Memorial hosted the 2021 championship at the at the Woodlake Country Club in Tazewell, Tenn., with the Trojans claiming 10th place for the second consecutive year, after finishing sixth in 2018 on their home course. LMU notched a then-tournament record, three-round 847 in 2021, before Queens eclipsed that mark with a 54-hole 837 en route to last year's title. Nine of the championship's top-10 54-hole team scores have been set in the past two years.
Led by four-time conference Coach of the Year, Danny Neal, the Trojans have been the nation's consensus No. 1 team since late October, with Carson-Newman currently ranked 12th and Lincoln Memorial checking in at No. 13 in the latest Golfstat ranking. Limestone is just behind at No. 18, while Coker and Newberry are 30th and 49th, respectively.
Lenoir-Rhyne is just outside at 59th, with Wingate at No. 64 and Tusculum at No. 73 among the South Atlantic Conference squads.
Keever's three-round 209 a year ago paced the Black and Gold to a ninth-place finish at the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Championship, with the Greenville native finishing in a tie for sixth place, while teammate Reece Coleman carded five birdies during the final round, including three on the back nine, and finished with a share of 18th place. Daniel Coker carded three birdies on the day and finished in a tie for 50th place, alongside freshman Simon Wright. Parker MacDonald wrapped up the tournament in 58th place.
Led by Keever's three-round, 6-over-par 222, the Trojans finished in 10th place two years ago. Keever moved up 11 spots during the final round to claim a share of 27th place, with Reece Coleman sharing 35th place. Daniel Coker finished in a tie for 48th place two years ago, with Anthony Sutton wrapping up the Trojan contingent in 56th place.
The Trojans began this year with in incredible five consecutive tournament championships, including the North Georgia Intercollegiate, Columbus State's Cougar Invitational, the Camden Intercollegiate, their own Mccoy-Wright Currahee Collegiate and LMU's Spring Kick-off before finishing fourth at Georgia Southwestern's Hurricane Invitational. AU bounced back to win the Bearcat classic before closing out the regular season three weeks ago with a seventh-place performance at LMU's Tennessee River Rumble.
During the 2022-23 campaign, the team has carded six of the top-seven and seven of the top-10 lowest 54-hole tournament scores in program history, while setting the school record with an 846 at the North Georgia Intercollegiate last September. Keever set the top three-round score in school history along the way this year – with a remarkable 199 at the LMU Spring Kick-off - and matched the second-lowest score with a 206 at North Georgia's Mizuno Intercollegiate.
Reece Coleman, who captured All-Conference accolades for the fourth consecutive season and was named SAC Golfer of the Year less than 24 hours ago, has carded five of the top-seven 54-hole scores in program history this season.
Coleman is currently ranked third nationally by Golfstat and was named SAC Golfer of the Week in early March after winning Georgia Southwestern's Hurricane Invitational. He finished as runner-up at Columbus State's Cougar Invitational and owns four third-place finishes this season, while posting six overall finishes in the top-3 and didn't finish lower than 15th in his other two tournaments. The Port Elizabeth, South Africa native fired a season-low, 5-under 65 at the Cougar Invitational and carded 5-under 67s on two occasions.
Keever, who is currently tabbed seventh nationally by Golfstat, and earned First-Team All-SAC accolades on Friday, claimed wins at both the North Georgia Intercollegiate and at the LMU Spring Kickoff and earned SAC Golfer of the Week recognition in February. The Greenville native owns five top-10 finishes and finished lower than 13th just once in eight tournaments. In addition to setting the school record with his 9-under 63 in the final round of LMU's Spring Kick-off, he has fired three additional rounds of 5-under 67s, along with a 4-under 68 and a pair of 3-under 69s.
De Castro – the SAC Freshman of the Year - is ranked 54th nationally by Golfstat and owns a 72.42 unadjusted stroke average through eight tournaments. He fired a season-low 3-under 67 at the Camden Intercollegiate, while also carding a 3-under 69 at Lander and a pair of 2-under 70s during the regular season. A native of St. Esteve Sesrovires, Spain, he posted four finishes inside the top-17, including two inside the top-7 and finished lower than 27th just once in eight tournaments.
Daniel Coker, a junior from Hartsville, owns a 74.17 unadjusted stroke average through six tournaments and notched a season-low 71 on three occasions, while firing an even-par 72 three times. He recorded an 18th-place finish at the North Georgia Intercollegiate and shared 31st place last month at Lander's Bearcat Classic.
Simon Wright, a sophomore from Lancaster, S.C., has recorded a 74.30 unadjusted stroke average, while firing a 68 in the second round of the Bearcat Classic and a 69 in the opening round of the Cougar Invitational. A native of Greer, senior Parker MacDonald, has a 75.33 unadjusted stroke average through six tournaments this year and has posted a pair of 71s and a pair of 72s, while finishing in a tie for 11th at AU's McCoy-Wright Currahee Collegiate. Freshman Sam Norris has a 76.83 stroke average and carded a season-low 74 in the final round of the Camden Intercollegiate.
Live scoring will be available for all three rounds through Birdiefire.com.
TOURNAMENT RECORDS
Top Team Scores – Single Round
1. Presbyterian 2002 271 (2nd Round)
2. Lincoln Memorial 2021 274 (1st Round)
T-3. Queens 2022 277 (1st Round)
T-3. Carson-Newman 2022 277 (3rd)
T-5. Newberry 2022 278 (3rd Round)
T-5. Newberry 219 278 (1st Round)
T-5. Catawba 1995 278 (2nd Round)
Top Team Scores – All Rounds
1. Queens 2022 837
2. Lincoln Memorial 2021 847
3. Newberry 2022 849
Top Individual Scores – Single Round
T-1. Dan Bradbury LMU 2021 64 (1st Round)
T-1. Connor Froning LMU 2013 64 (1st Round)
T-1. Gavin Gillespie Presbyterian 2003 64 (1st Round)
T-4. Dan Bradbury LMU 2021 65 (3rd Round)
T-4. Pontus Samuelson Limestone 2022 65 (3rd Round)
T-4. Luke Harries LMU 2022 65 (1st Round)
Top Individual Scores – All Rounds
1. Dan Bradbury LMU 2021 196
T-2. Drake Wilcox Queens 2022 202
T-2. Pontus Samuelson Limestone 2022 202
