May 2—History may be made Saturday to finish off a weekend full of it at the 50th Southern Cross.
Frederica Academy’s Jackson Byrd holds the individual lead by a shot following a 3-under 68 in Friday’s opening round at Palmetto Golf Club, and Saturday he’ll look to win the tournament his father Jonathan won three times in the 1990s — which would make them the first father-son duo to win the Southern Cross.
Byrd and his Frederica Academy teammates hold the the team lead at 2-over 215, one clear of Blue Ridge and Bishop England. Dorman and Gaffney are tied for fourth, seven shots behind. Defending champion Greenville is alone in sixth at 10 over.
Byrd was even-par through 10 holes before making a late charge, with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 15th holes without a bogey the rest of the way to secure the solo lead. The Clemson signee, the second-ranked junior golfer in the country, finished runner-up in March at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Teammate Thomas Sams is right behind him after a round of 69, as are Blue Ridge’s Dawson Szabo and the Dorman duo of Moses Zikusooka and Will Ruth, the latter being the reigning champion with a shot at history of his own.
Those are the only five players under par after a difficult day at Palmetto that included a lengthy weather delay due to lightning and some heavy rain in the area, which caused the horns to blow after only the first few groups had completed their round.
North Augusta leads the locals at 27-over 240. The Region 4-AAAA runners-up are led by Luke Johnson, who opened with a 73. The Jackets also counted a 77 from region medalist Andrew Baxley and a 90 from Reed Wallace.
Aiken is two shots back at 242. Ryan Anaclerio led the way with a 78 for the Hornets, who also counted an 81 from Benton Orr and an 83 from Evan Crooks.
Mead Halls is another five shots back at 247. Granger Young shot 79, followed by Brooks Abrams with an 80 and Stern Massey with an 88.
South Aiken finished day one at 257. Bennett Elvis was the T-Breds’ top finisher from the No. 4 spot with a score of 82. Collin Orander shot 84, and Charlie Schick posted a 91.
The final round is Saturday, with the groupings reordered to send the leading teams out last.
Byrd is looking to join his father, who won three years in a row from 1994-96 while playing for Spring Valley, in the Southern Cross record books. Hilton Head Christian’s Bryson Nimmer in 2015 had a shot at matching his father Tony’s 1979 title, but he lost to South Aiken’s Jake Carter in a playoff.
Ruth, on the other hand, is looking to add his name to a list of multi-time Southern Cross champions that includes Jonathan Byrd, Wesley Bryan, Carter and Trent Phillips.
History may be made Saturday to finish off a weekend full of it at the 50th Southern Cross.
Frederica Academy’s Jackson Byrd holds the individual lead by a shot following a 3-under 68 in Friday’s opening round at Palmetto Golf Club, and Saturday he’ll look to win the tournament his father Jonathan won three times in the 1990s – which would make them the first father-son duo to win the Southern Cross.
Byrd and his Frederica Academy teammates hold the the team lead at 2-over 215, one clear of Blue Ridge and Bishop England. Dorman and Gaffney are tied for fourth, seven shots behind. Defending champion Greenville is alone in sixth at 10 over.
Byrd was even-par through 10 holes before making a late charge, with birdies at the 12th, 14th and 15th holes without a bogey the rest of the way to secure the solo lead. The Clemson signee, the second-ranked junior golfer in the country, finished runner-up in March at the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley.
Teammate Thomas Sams is right behind him after a round of 69, as are Blue Ridge’s Dawson Szabo and the Dorman duo of Moses Zikusooka and Will Ruth, the latter being the reigning champion with a shot at history of his own.
Those are the only five players under par after a difficult day at Palmetto that included a lengthy weather delay due to lightning and some heavy rain in the area, which caused the horns to blow after only the first few groups had completed their round.
North Augusta leads the locals at 27-over 240. The Region 4-AAAA runners-up are led by Luke Johnson, who opened with a 73. The Jackets also counted a 77 from region medalist Andrew Baxley and a 90 from Reed Wallace.
Aiken is two shots back at 242. Ryan Anaclerio led the way with a 78 for the Hornets, who also counted an 81 from Benton Orr and an 83 from Evan Crooks.
Mead Halls is another five shots back at 247. Granger Young shot 79, followed by Brooks Abrams with an 80 and Stern Massey with an 88.
South Aiken finished day one at 257. Bennett Elvis was the T-Breds’ top finisher from the No. 4 spot with a score of 82. Collin Orander shot 84, and Charlie Schick posted a 91.
The final round is Saturday, with the groupings reordered to send the leading teams out last.
Byrd is looking to join his father, who won three years in a row from 1994-96 while playing for Spring Valley, in the Southern Cross record books. Hilton Head Christian’s Bryson Nimmer in 2015 had a shot at matching his father Tony’s 1979 title, but he lost to South Aiken’s Jake Carter in a playoff.
Ruth, on the other hand, is looking to add his name to a list of multi-time Southern Cross champions that includes Jonathan Byrd, Wesley Bryan, Carter and Trent Phillips.
