SALISBURY, N.C. – Sophomore Allie Fletcher led the Eagles in scoring at 3-over par while the team finished at 8th place with a +25 round of 313 through the first day of the Patsy Rendleman Invitational at the Country Club of Salisbury.
Fletcher, who's competiting as an individual in the tournament, finished the first round at a nine-way tie for 15th on the leaderboard with a 75.
"Allie did a great job," head coach Suzanne Strudwick said of the sophomore's season debut. "That will help all our teammates see a good score is possible."
Fletcher's strong start to the tournament landed her as the lowest scoring of the five individuals in the entire tournament. The next lowest individual golfer was five strokes behind her.
For the players representing Carson-Newman as a team, the first round brought some challenges.
"As a team, we really did not adapt well to slow green speeds and gusty wind conditions," Strudwick mentioned.
Coming off a win in the King Invitational, senior Elizabeth England ended the first round one stroke behind Fletcher with a +4 76, good enough to place at 24th.
Sophomore Reagan Kinnie and junior Taylor Hayes both shot a 78 at 6-over, placing them at 33rd.
Rachel Watts ended Monday at 50th with a +9 round of 81 while freshman Jayla Sims, making her debut as a team competitor, closed out the Eagles' scoring with an 11-over round of 83 for a tie at the 60th spot.
"I'm really hoping tomorrow we can do a better job of getting the green speed dialed in," Strudwick said. "The weather tomorrow could also be a factor tomorrow, so patience and accuracy off the tee will also be our focus."
Lenoir-Rhyne led the first day with a 7+ round of 295. North Greenville's Savannah Hallman had the lowest score of Monday with a 2-under 70. Following one stroke behind her was Megan Sabol of North Georgia with a 71, good enough for 1-under par.
A final round of 18 holes will be played on Tuesday.
