Greenville, SC— An upstate bitter cold front would meet competitors as they took on Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer Course first round of the Morgan Lucas Championship Presented by Marchant Real Estate. Earlier in the week the course would battle to be ready for championship play due to multiple days of rain and cold temperatures. In true Chanticleer fashion – the elite and pristine Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design would not only be ready, but would also provide just the test this championship was meant to showcase.
Battling on her back nine finishing holes, Sydney Roberts (Chesnee) would surge to the top of the leaderboard in the girls division after posting an opening round one-over par (73), taking a four- shot lead into the final round. Roberts began the day with back-to-back bogies but would settle down mid-round and turn up the heat on her final nine holes carding just one bogey and three birdies. Roberts will have a little cushion on her lead, but reigning champion Mary Katherine Talledo (Spartanburg) will be ready to compete for another title. Talledo, who shot a five-over par (77), will join the final pairing with Roberts along with Blythewood’s Paige Paolucci who posted a six over par (78) in her opening round.
Red numbers would flood the leaderboard in the boys division. With seven birdies on his round, Woodruffs Daniel Brasington will take a one-shot lead into the final round. Brasington, a Wofford College commit, remained consistent on his opening nine holes, carding an even par 36. It would be his final nine holes that putts started to drop. Opening his back-nine with three birdies, Brasington would finish at four under par (68), just one shot over Columbia’s Matthew Hutto. Hutto would make a triple bogey on his final hole, the 18th, to post a three under par (69) in his opening round. Brasington and Hutto will be joined by Columbia’s Ford Reynolds in the final pairing of the day. Reynolds posted the first red number round of the day, carding a one-under par (71).
Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., is consistently ranked as one of the top courses in Upstate. The 6,900 yard, par-72 layout is known to be an exemplary challenge, with some of the toughest greens in the state. GCC’s Chanticleer Course is the annual host of the Chanticleer Four-Ball and Senior Four-Ball Invitational, in addition to hosting the SCGA Amateur Championship many times, most recently in 2015. Tee times for the final round of the Morgan Lucas Championship Presented by Marchant Real Estate will begin at 10 a.m. on February 23, with groups beginning on both holes #1 and #10. For live updates and results, please visit the tournament webpage on scjga.org or follow us on social media (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram).
