Three tied for individual lead at Holly Tree

Caroline Hawkins from Blythewood, Olivia Pellerin from Mauldin and Abby Franks from Dorman all shot opening round totals of 1-under par 71 and share the individual lead going into the final round of the AAAAA championship at Holly Tree Country Club. (GolfClub Photos)

The South Carolina High School AAAAA Championship began on Tuesday at Holly Tree Country Club in Simpsonville hosted by the Mauldin Mavericks.

Anyone who has followed high school golf this year would know Dorman is the favorite and they played that way in the opening round.

Led by Abbie Franks 1-under par 71 and Maddie Grace Peake’s 75 the Cavaliers have a 20 shot advantage going into the final round on Wednesday.

“We actually didn’t start off very well.” said Dorman coach Olivia Herring . “We really struggled on the front, it is state and we had some nerves, but we got them under control and everyone played better on the back nine,” said the Cavaliers coach.

During the regular season, Dorman had won every tournament they sent their starting five to this fall. Cavalier fans are expecting a state championship based on their undefeated season record, but playoffs in any sport can be unpredictable.

“I don’t think we have any expectations,” said first round individual co-leader Abby Franks. “We can only control what we can control. We have put in the work and we have been having fun along with winning,” said Franks.

In addition to Franks and Peake the Cavaliers posted the scores from Londyn Rath, Maddie Carraway , and Ava Romansky to build their 20 shot advantage.

With one round between the Cavaliers and their first state girls golf championship since 2015, Herring has confidence her team can get it done at Holly Tree on Wednesday.

“We worked hard to be here this season , we are just glad that we made it and glad to get the opportunity to play with these other great teams,” said the Cavaliers coach.

With a substantial lead in the team competition, Golf fans will turn their attention to the three golfers tied at the top.

Franks was the first to post when she finished her round at 1-under par 71. In addition to Franks shooting a 1-under par round, Caroline Hawkins from Blythewood pitched in to help her team to a tie for fourth place with Hanna by matching Franks score.

The third golfer in the first place tie is Olivia Pellerin from Mauldin, who shot an opening 9-hole score of 38 before turning her round around with three back side birdies.

“We are playing on our home course and I think the way I played the back nine (33) I’m in a good position for tomorrow,” said Pellerin. “

The Maverick’s golfer does not believe the home course gives her or her team a big advantage. They will still have to play well.

“I made some mistakes today I can fix for tomorrow and hope I play a little better,” said the co-leader.

Tournament pairings first match up the teams and the final round will see Dorman, go head to head with Mauldin and Chapin the two teams tied for second.

Franks and Pellerin will be in the same starting group opn the first hole at 10:52.

Hawkins will play with her team, as the Bengals will be paired with Hanna and Lexington. She will start her second round about an hour earlier than Franks and Pellerin

First round scores and second round pairings can be found at http://www.birdiefire.com https://birdiefire.com/tournament/132736/