Sandhills CC Men and Women Golfers Lead After First Round of Flyers Fall Invitational

The Sandhills Community College men's and women's golf teams are both on top after Monday's first round of the Flyers Fall Invitational held at Longleaf Golf and Family Club.

Led by freshman Joey Pritchard with a 1-under par round of 71, the Sandhills B team posted a 2-over par 288 to lead the Sandhills A team by six strokes. Columbia College (SC) is in third place 16 strokes back in the field of eight teams.

Trinity Ahing, a transfer from Western Carolina, shot a 78, and sophomores Scotty Foley and Ava Ray posted an 81 and an 87 respectively, helping Coach Herb Pike's Lady Flyers take a 16-stroke lead over Spartanburg Methodist.

Tuesday's play begins at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start.

All 15 members of Flyers' Coach Gus Ulrich's squad that repeated as NJCAA Division III National Champions last June got to play on Monday.

Sophomores Tyler Owens and Logan Hay shot even-par 72's. Freshmen Supanat Rujiranan, Watcharakan Chankam and Ben Read, each shot a 73. Sophomore transfer James Baldauf posted a 74.  A 75 by sophomore Noah Maness included five birdies.

"It looks like I'm going to be pretty pleased with some of the scores of the freshmen," Men's Coach Gus Ulrich said before all of the scores had been recorded. "Obviously, for the first competitive match of the year, it's good to see where we stand. I'll have an even better idea after tomorrow.

"With 15 kids, I've got the biggest team I've ever had so its going to be extremely competitive within our group."

Andreas Huber, who earned medalist honors as a member of the Flyers' national championship team last June, finished in first place last week with rounds of 71-71-68-210, helping Greensboro College win the Transylvania Fall Invitational in Lexington, KY.

"Andreas is picking up right from where he left off," Ulrich said on Monday.

Team scores Men: 1. Sandhills CC B 290, 2. Sandhills CC A 296, 3. Columbia College 306, 4. USC Sumter 332, 5. Central Carolina CC 341, 6. Patrick Henry CC 357, 7. Mid-Atlantic Christian 363, 8. Davidson-Davie 365. Team scores Women: 1. Sandhills CC 353. 2. Spartanburg Methodist 369.

Individual Leaders - Men: Pritchard (SCC-B) 71, Dillon Hite (COL) 72, Owens (SCC-B) 72, Hay (SCC-A) 72, Rujiranian (SCC-ind.) 73, Chankam (SCC-B) 73, Read (SCC-A) 73, Baldauf (SCC-B) 74,

Maness (SCC-A) 75, Liam Harris (SCC-A) 76, Alex Martin (SCC-A) 76.

Individual Leaders - Women: Ahing (SCC) 78, Foley (SCC) 81, Lindsey Hoile (COL) 83, Taylor Strickland (SM) 84, Ray (SCC) 87, Joy Outhous (SM) 90.

C. Bergmann