Local high school runners shine at Lowcountry Invitational
Beaufort’s Shannon Smith finished second to lead a strong showing of Lowcountry runners Saturday at the Lowcountry Invitational at Johns Island.
Smith finished with a time of 19:34. Dobbins Bennett’s Emma Russum (19:20) was the first-place finisher.
Beaufort’s Charlize Antia (19:57) was sixth. As a team, the Eagles came in 11th. May River was 18th and Bluffton 22nd. MR’s Ashlyn Babkiewicz (21:00) was 22nd. Bluffton’s Ava Gerschutz (22:12) was 50th.
In the boys’ race, May River finished fifth while Beaufort was 14th and Bluffton 19th. Beaufort’s Marlon Belden was the top local finisher and came in third with a time of 16:09. Teammate Maxwell Davis (17:28) was 13th.
The Sharks were led by Owen Andrews (17:03) and Tristan Kaplan (17:15), who finished 10th and 14th, respectively.
Armando Macias Jimenez (18:36) was Bluffton’s top runner.
Hilton Head on top 4A rankings.
The Hilton Head Island girls were ranked No. 1 in last week’s SC Milesplit’s Class 4A cross country rankings.
The Seahawk boys were No. 3 while Bluffton boys were 12th.
Golf
Two area golfers move on at Korn Ferry Tour qualifying
Former Hilton Head Christian standout Bryson Nimmer and Bluffton resident Nathan Stamey moved on to the second stage of Korn Ferry Tour (formerly Nationwide Tour) qualifying school.
Stamey (-19) finished third and Nimmer came in 14th at The Landings in Savannah, Ga.
The second stage is next month with the final stage Dec. 12-15 at Orange County National in Florida.
The top 40 and ties will secure guaranteed starts for the early portion of 2020.
Nimmer, who had a standout career at Clemson, was 37th on the Mackenzie Tour (Canadian PGA Tour) after turning pro this year.
Stamey was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection during his time at UNC Greensboro and qualified for the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Tournament this year.
Thomas wins on Sunbelt Senior Tour
Lou Thomas, an amateur golfer from Hilton Head Island, won for the first time on the Sunbelt Senior Tour on Saturday.
Thomas shot a 78 and 76 to win by nine strokes at Lockwood Folly Country Club. He birdied the last two holes Friday and the 12th hole in the final round. He had a triple bogey and two double bogeys the first round, five bogeys Saturday, earning $750 from the $1,500 purse.
The next tournament is the The Myrtle Beach Match Play Championship on Monday through Wednesday at the Surf Golf and Beach Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
May River girls compete at High School Invitational
May River girls golf team finished 11th in the strong field at the Women’s Golf Association’s High School Invitational in Aiken.
The field featured some of the top high school programs in the state. The Sharks finished with a score of 730. Oceanside Collegiate won the event.
MR’s Sydney Bowes (163) was the top Shark golfer with a 24th-place finish.