AUGUSTA, GA. -- Junior Anna Morgan (-1) fired a 71 Saturday to lead the Valspar Augusta Invitational after the opening round at the par 72, 6,244 yard Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
Due to high winds in the Augusta area, the tournament has been shortened from 54 to 36 holes. Teams will conclude the tournament with 18 holes on Sunday, beginning with a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m.
A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Morgan teed off on No. 3 and birdied No. 8 and No. 9 to turn at 1-over. She settled in and parred No. 11 through No. 16 then birdied three of her last four holes to take a one-stroke lead over 14th-ranked Hannah Darling (E) of South Carolina, who carded a 72 Saturday.
Seniors Kyra Cox (+6) and Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (+6) are tied for 27th heading into Sunday's final round. The Paladin duo each tallied a 78 on Saturday, with Cox birdieing No. 4 and No. 6 and Rhéaume eagling the par-5 No. 9 and notching a birdie on No. 14.
Freshman Savannah Hylton (+10) eagled her first hole, the par-5 No. 6, then also posted an eagle on the par-5 No. 9. She finished the round with an 82 to tie for 65th, while sophomore Sophia Burnett (+11) tied for 73rd with an 83.
Sophomore Caroline Crumrine (+14), who is playing as an individual, shot an 86 with birdies on No. 9 and No. 14 to finish the day in 82nd place.
Fourth-ranked South Carolina (+13) leads the tournament by two strokes heading into the final day of competition. No. 41 Miami (+15) and 25th-ranked Ole Miss (+15) are tied for second, while No. 14 Florida State (+19) and host Augusta (+19) are tied for fourth. The 45th-ranked Paladins (+21) are in seventh place, one stroke behind ninth-ranked Alabama (+20). Power 5 schools Virginia Tech (+24), Purdue (+25), Minnesota (+34), and Tennessee (+37) are behind Furman in the standings.
The Paladins will tee off of No. 11 through No. 15 in Sunday's final round and will play in a group with Virginia Tech and Purdue. Live tournament scoring will be available via http://www.golfstat.com.
7 Furman 309 309 +21
1 Anna Morgan (1) 71 71 -1
T27 Sarah-Eve Rhéaume (3) 78 78 +6
T27 Kyra Cox (4) 78 78 +6
T65 Savannah Hylton (5) 82 82 +10
T73 Sophia Burnett (2) 83 83 +11
82 Caroline Crumrine (I) 86 86 +14
