Anna Carole Cole, Kenedi Byard To Compete At National Tournament
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College sophomore Anna Carole Cole/Halifax and freshman Kenedi Byard/Chesterfield, will compete at the 2017 NJCAA Women's Golf Championship May 15-18 at the Chateau Elan Golf Club in Braselton, Georgia (located approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta). Cole will be playing in the national tournament for the second consecutive year, while Byard qualified for the prestigious event for the first time as a first-year team member. The two Statesmen will play a practice round on Sunday, May 14, before the 72-hole championship begins on Monday, May 15.
"I am so excited for Anna Carole and Kenedi to compete at the Women's Nationals," explained head coach Bart Reiten. "It is an awesome opportunity for them both to showcase their golf games and their RBC school spirit. I am so proud of and thrilled for them to have this wonderful experience."
Cole qualified with her eighth-place finish at the NJCAA Region 10 Championship April 8-9 at the Southern Pines Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She fired a 36-hole score of 90-99--189 at the 5,785-yard, par 72 Southern Pines layout. Cole led Richard Bland in three of five tournaments this year, averaging a team-best 93.16 over 9.5 rounds (171 holes) of golf. She posted a low round of 90 and a season-best 183 (91-92) for 36 holes, adding medalist honors at the Cougar Classic on April 3-4 (95-92--187) at the 5,779-yard, par 72 Anderson Creek Golf Club in Spring Lake, North Carolina. Cole helped the Statesmen to a first-place finish at the Spring Eagles' Cup on March 25-26 at the 5,725-yard, par 71 Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has posted five top 10 finishes in the five events this year.
"I have hopes of doing my best and focusing on my own game," said Cole. "I hope to do better each day than the previous day during the national tournament."
Byard qualified with her ninth-place finish at the Region 10 event, posting a 36-hole score of 101-92--193. She led Richard Bland in two tournaments this year, averaging 95.73 over 7.5 rounds (135 holes) of golf. Byard has posted a low round of 85 (team-best) and a team and season-best 179 (86-93) for 36 holes, adding medalist honors at the Spring Eagles' Cup (86-93--179) won by the Statesmen, while tying for first at the Fall Eagles' Cup (85-44--129) at the same venue, and has posted four top 10 finishes in four events this year.
"Qualifying for the Nationals was very memorable and an exciting moment for me," said Byard. "It's like a dream that I can't believe happened and that I worked hard for. My expectations are to just play well, keep low scores, and make my parents proud of me."
Live Scoring from the 2017 NJCAA Women's Golf Championship will be available online at golfstat.com.