England, Hayes shine on second day of SAC Women's Golf Championships
MONROE, N.C. – Sophomore Elizabeth England and freshman Taylor Hayes each carded rounds of six-over 78 during Monday's second round of the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Championships at Monroe Country Club in Monroe, N.C.
The Eagles shot a 31-over 319 to move from first to second on the leaderboard and trail Queens (N.C.) by six strokes through the first 36 holes of competition. C-N's 319 tied for the third-best round on the day, while the Royals shot the fourth-lowest score in SAC tournament history with a 305.
Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) leads Carson-Newman in the individual competition at six-over 150 and is in third-place. She leads the 60-person field with nine birdies.
"We finished stronger than we started, which was good. We need a couple of players to step up tomorrow and play well for us to contend. Queens is playing strong," coach Suzanne Strudwick said.
After entering the round as the tournament leader, Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.) bogeyed her first two holes and double-bogeyed the par-five third but settling in with pars on the final five of six holes on the front nine. The second-team All-SAC performer recorded three-straight bogeys starting on the par-four 10th. Hayes finished the round with birdies on three of her final four holes to finish at six-over 78.
Senior Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) shot a 10-over 82 during her second round of play at the Monroe Country Club. Hawkins shot identical five-over 41s on the front and back nine. The senior finished her day with five bogeys on the final six holes, but has Carson-Newman's most pars through 36 holes with 22. Hawkins is tied for ninth.
England's (Oakland, Tenn.) first nine holes included four bogeys and a birdie for a three-over 39. The sophomore triple-bogeyed the par-four 10th, but responded with birdies on the par-five 13th and the par-five 15th. The first-team All-SAC honoree finished the round at six-over 78 and is currently tied for 15th.
Junior Jessica Hart (Roanoke, Va.) tallied a three-over on the front nine with six pars and three bogeys, which led the team after opening the round. Hart opened the day with five consecutive pars, but double-bogeyed the 10th hole. The Virginian shot a six-over 42 on the back nine to finish at nine-over 81. Hart is tied for 34th.
Senior Kelli Pemberton (Knoxville, Tenn.) carded a second round 15-over 87. After opening the day three-over through four holes, Pemberton tallied pars on four straight holes but registered a quintuple-bogey on the par-fifth ninth. The senior finished the day with nine pars and is tied for 39th.
Carson-Newman holds a six-stroke advantage over third-place Newberry; Lincoln Memorial and Wingate round out the top-five in team play.
Newberry's Nabila Inak shot an one-under 71 to take the tournament lead after two rounds by a single stroke. Inak leads Queen's Grace Glaze, while Hayes is three strokes behind the leader. Wingate's Caitlin Starrs and Abbey Hartsell from Lenoir-Rhyne are tied for fourth and are seventh strokes off Inak.
In the 2015 edition of the SAC Women's Golf Championships, Carson-Newman overcame an eight-stroke deficit on the final day of competition to win the conference title by seven strokes.
The final round of the South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Championships tees off at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning
2 Carson-Newman 312 319
3 Taylor Hayes 72 78
T9 Meridith Hawkins 76 82
T15 Elizabeth England 83 78
T34 Jessica Hart 86 81
T39 Kelli Pemberton 81 87
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