ANDERSON, S.C. – With just one man in the red by the end of Sunday, the No. 20 Eagles were able to land at third on the leaderboard through the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Championship at the Cobb's Glen Country Club.
As a team, Carson-Newman carded a ten-over 298 to open its time at the event. The Eagles ended Sunday as the second-best Par 3 and Par 4 shooting team, notching 3.30 and 4.16 averages, respectively.
"I think everybody feels like they left some shots out there," head coach Randy Wylie said. "We are in good shape to contend for the championship and plan on a good run tomorrow."
Tom Forster (Oundle, England) was the lone Eagle to shoot under par on Sunday, starting off with a one-under showing in the front nine due to a couple of birdies and a bogey. In the second half of the day, the sophomore carded a double bogey on the 14th but found relief in the form of back-to-back birdies to help him shoot even through the back nine. He is the highest Eagle on the board heading into Monday at fourth with a 71.
Forster was one-under on Par 4 holes, carding a 3.90 average on such holes, tied for second in the field.
Just a few strokes behind him is Anthony Marcinelli (Knoxville, Tenn.) with a 74, good enough for a tie for 12th. The junior was two-over in the front nine before a birdie and bogey left him even in the back nine.
Marcinelli landed in a four-way tie for the best Par 3 shooting among players in the field with a one-under average of 2.75. He shot for par on 14 holes, also landing him in a tie for the best among the field in that category.
Alex Hutson (Newport, Tenn.) shot five bogeys in the first round with just one birdie for a share of 21st on the leaderboard, holding a four-over card of 76. He was the closest Eagle outside of Forster to shoot under par in through the first nine holes with a one-over showing early in the day.
Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.) ended his first round of the championship with a +5 score of 77, landing at 29th on the leaderboard. He was four-over in the front nine with six bogeys to accompany just two birdies. The back nine was much nicer to the freshman who was one over with a pair of birdies and three bogeys.
Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.) saw the most struggles out of Wylie's crew in the first round with a +6 score of 78 to place him at a tie for 36th. He was only able to record one birdie in the front nine with four bogeys. On the 10th hole, he carded a double bogey, leading to a pair of extra bogeys and another birdie, helping him to shoot +3 in both sides of the turn.
Queens and No. 16 Lincoln Memorial share the top position in the field with an eight-over score of 296. Host team Anderson sits just two shots behind the Eagles at fourth.
Anderson's Jake Miller leads the field at five-under with a 67 in the first round. Sitting in a tie for second are Henry Bryden of Queens and Harry Butler of Mars Hill, both carding 70s on Sunday at two-under, just one shot above Forster.
The second round of the championship will tee-off on Monday at 8:30 a.m. from the Cobb's Glen Country Club. Headrick will start the day for Carson-Newman at 10:25 a.m. For up to date scores after every third hole played, be sure to check out the live scoring provided by Anderson University.
