A pair of golfers with Palmetto State ties are leading the SEC Championship at the Sea Island Golf Club.

South Carolina’s Ryan Hall holds the individual lead by a shot over Georgia’s Trent Phillips from Inman, SC after the first round of the championship.

Hall carded a 4-under par 66 to hold the one shot lead over Phillips.

Phillips is joined in second place by five other golfers going into the second round.

Vanderbilt shot a 7-under par 273 total to hold the team lead by 3-shots over Georgia.

South Carolina finished the first day in a tie for ninth place with a 6-over par 286 total.

SEC Championship scores https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=player&tid=25200

Latest PGA Tour University rankings

Both Hall and Phillips have been ranked among the top college golfers in the PGA University poll all season.

Phillips moved up three spots into the top-5 while Hall also advanced in the poll to now be in the 8th spot.

Clemson’s Jacob Bridgeman is the highest ranked golfer in the poll with Palmetto State ties.

The Tiger senior moved up two spots to the fourth place in the rankings.

If Bridgeman and Phillips can hold their positions in the top-5 through the end of the college season they would both be given full status on the Korn-Ferry Tour for the year.

The top-5 college golfers get the exemption while golfers who finish between 6 and 15 are given an exemption into the final stage of the Korn-Ferry qualifying school.

Bridgeman has already earned a season exemption to play on the PGA Canada Tour.

The Tiger senior won a qualifying tournament to gain the exemption and full status on the Tour which begins in June.

Phillips is guaranteed one Korn-Ferry Tour start at the Rex Hospital Open, the first week in June after the NCAA Championships.

The Bulldog senior won the exemption along with the championship at the Williams Cup in Wilmington last October.