Derek Rende, who played golf for Soddy-Daisy High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is tied for third in the Tennessee State Open after the first day at Gaylord Springs in Nashville.
Rende, who is tied with professional Scott Masters, shot a 2-under 69 and trails first-round leader Garrett Willis by three and Jason Millard by two heading into the second of three rounds. Former Lee University golfer Josh Lawson is tied for fifth at 1 under.
Jaeger moving up
Former Baylor School and UTC standout Stephan Jaeger has secured conditional status on the Web.Com tour for the upcoming months. He tied for 11th last weekend at the BMW Charity Pro-Am near Greenville, S.C. His $14,950 paycheck moved him into the top 100 on the money list and granted him a spot in the Mexico Championship, which begins Thursday.
Lee tied for 10th
Lee University's Bernadette Little is one of 10 players tied for second place at 75 after the first round of the NAIA women's tournament at Lincoln, Neb., five strokes behind Heather Wiquist from team leader Embry-Riddle.
The Lady Flames are tied for 10th out of 27 teams at 317, one stroke out of seventh, with Sloane Skinner sharing 20th place at 77. Madison Alexander and Courtney Shelton opened at 82 and 83.
Two Scots honored
Covenant College's Trey Patterson and Levi Nix recently were named to the GCAA PING NCAA Division III Southeast all-region team. Patterson, a sophomore from Johns Creek, Ga., previously earned distinction as a National Christian College Athletic Association All-American. Nix is a freshman from LaFayette. He joined Patterson in the NCCAA national tournament last fall.
"They not only got better throughout the year but made the team better," Scots coach Trevor Potts said in a Covenant release. "I look forward to the next couple of years to see where this team can go."
NGI applications open
The North Georgia Invitational, which recently has been included in the Chattanooga TPC series, will be played June 1-2 at Dalton Country Club. The amateur competition includes a complimentary practice round before the 36-hole competition. The entry fee is $135 per player with awards of five prizes to each flight.
Area aces
Wayne Hartman sank his first hole-in-one May 13 at Creeks Bend. The 130-yard shot with an 8-iron on No. 4 was witnessed by Bill Horney and Gary Jaynes.
Bill Hayes had his first hole-in-one on May 14, using a 4-iron to ace Valleybrook's No. 13, playing 181 yards. He used a 4-iron with Rick Kelly and Danny English watching.
Tracie Blakely had a hole-in-one at Valleybrook in the annual Rosebud women's tournament last week. She made it on No. 13.
- David Uchiyama and Ron Bush