Pioneers shoot tournament record 298, lead after day one of SAC Championship

Taylor Lambertsen shot a one-over par 73 and is tied for second place at the 2017 SAC Championship. Pioneers lead after carding a tournament record 298 on Sunday (photo by Shawn Millsaps)

Posted: Apr 09, 2017

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum used home course advantage as the Pioneers carded tournament record team score of 298 to take the first round lead at the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Championship. The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being held at the par-72, 5,910-yard Link Hills Country Club.

The Pioneers' 298 is the third lowest round in Tusculum history and marks the second time TC has gone sub-300 this year. TC's 298 breaks the previous SAC Championship record of 301 held by Newberry at the 2012 league championship.

Tusculum leads by two shots over second place Lincoln Memorial, who fired a 12-over-par round of 300. Anderson, Coker and Queens are in a three-way for third place with 305, while Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate are locked in a two-way tie for sixth with 307. Carson-Newman is eighth with 309, followed by Catawba (322), Newberry (328) and Mars Hill (387).

Lincoln Memorial's Lise Malherbe was the lone player to go into red numbers with her one-under par 71. Malherbe recorded three birdies and posted an eagle 3 on the par-five 10^th hole. Her 71 is the fourth-lowest in a SAC Championship.

Five players are locked in a tie for second place with 73 including the Tusculum duo of Taylor Lambertsen and Taylor White.

Lambertsen carded a one-under par 35 on her opening which included eight pars and a birdie on the ninth hole. She posted three bogeys on her inward nine but sank a big birdie putt on No. 18 and is two shots out of the lead.

White's round including five birdies, six bogeys and seven pars for her lowest round as a Pioneer.

Three-time All-SAC performer Ciara Rattana shot a four-over par 76 and is tied for 13^th place, along with teammate Cydney Murrell. Two-time All-SAC standout Katie Tomassoni is in 23^rd place with her 77 to round out the team scoring.

Tusculum freshman Maggienella Basile shot 85 and is tied for 46^th place while sophomore Kelsey Haun is 52^nd with 87. Both are playing as individual competitors.

The second round will being at 8:30 a.m. on Monday with the final 18 holes being contested on Tuesday, all at Link Hills. Tusculum is vying for its third SAC Championship title and first since 2001 when it won back-to-back SAC Championships in the sport's first year in the league.

The SAC Championship resumes on Monday with tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m.