VIDEO: Elizabeth England Interview
VIDEO: Suzanne Strudwick Interview
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) set a Carson-Newman and South Atlantic Conference record with a six-under 66 to move into first place as the Eagles jumped from eighth to third on Monday at the SAC Championships at the Link Hills Country Club in Greeneville, Tenn.
"I'm absolutely thrilled for [Elizabeth]," said coach Suzanne Strudwick. "It was a fantastic round of golf, but, to be honest, it's been coming. I'm not surprised at all. She's been hitting the ball absolutely beautifully right where she wants it. It was a just a matter of the putts starting to drop, which they did."
England's day started off with two pars, but she then reeled off three straight birdies and was three-under at the turn. She began the final nine by picking up another stroke on the tenth and followed that up with an eagle on the 12th. The junior capped off 18 brilliant holes with a streak of six straight pars and entered the clubhouse without recording a bogey. She bettered SAC Player of the Year Abbey Hartsell by one shot for the afternoon and will take a two stroke advantage into Tuesday's final round.
"I was hitting the ball solidly," said England, "and I made a lot of putts to save par and a lot of birdie putts as well. In the back of my mind, I did for a second think I could break the record, but I was really concerned that Abbey might beat me. That was some incentive to finish strong."
Joining England in the top five is Allie Fletcher (Cumming, Ga.), who continues a breakout performance that began with a one-over 73 on day one. This time, she carded a 77, earning the freshman a share of fourth place with a six-over 150. Fletcher collected four birdies on the day, tied for the second-most and posted a 4.50 stroke average on par fives, tied for the tourney's best mark.
The day got off to a difficult start for Taylor Hayes (Lake Ozark, Mo.), who was six-over on the front nine, but a birdie on the 10th got her untracked and she shot two-over on the back nine. She stands at +14 for the competition and is tied for 30th.
Tied for 45th is Reagan Kinnie (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) with a score of 23-over. She also had a difficult time on the first nine, but, like her teammate, shot a two-over 38 on the final half of her round for a 10-over 82.
Jessica Hart (Roanoke, Va.) improved by four shots in round two on her way to a 12-over 84 and is in sole possession of 51st place. Individual player Rachel Watts (Newport, Tenn.) is in 43rd. after slicing five strokes off her Sunday score, totaling an eight-over 80.
As a team, the Eagles moved up five spots and are 13 shots off the lead with a 38-over 614. Tusculum currently owns first place at 25-over. Lenoir-Rhyne is in second with a score of 28-over.
"I'm really hoping that tomorrow, we come together," said Strudwick. "We'll be in a good position. If we can make a charge early, I think it might scare a couple of teams just because we are underachieving a little bit."
The final round of the SAC Championships is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. At the conclusion of the event, visit cneagles.com, where you'll find results and a recap.
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