Ashley Gilliam back in Schooldays championship for third year in a row

Ashley Gilliam wasn’t able to play golf at Tullahoma High School last fall.

She’s played plenty over the past two days at the 2018 Tennessean/Metro Parks Schooldays Golf Tournament at McCabe, though.

Gilliam, a 16-year-old Mississippi State commitment who has forced to sit out her junior season due to TSSAA transfer rules, advanced to the championship round for the third year in a row with Wednesday’s 3-and-2 win over 2017 runner-up Catherine Caudill of Rossview.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Gilliam, who fired a course-record 10-under 62 in Tuesday’s stroke-play qualifying. “We played in the finals match last year, and I’ve known her since I was really little so  I'm used to playing against (Caudill).”

Gilliam, a 2016 Tennessean All-Midstate second-team selection, will square off against another close friend in Thursday’s 9:45 a.m. championship, 14-year-old Kynadie Adams of Gallatin.

Adams, a former Goodpasture student making Schooldays debut, qualified third with a 9-under 63 on Tuesday before taking down Sophie Linder of Carthage 3-and-1 in Wednesday’s semifinals.

“I’ve always been out of town when they play this tournament so this is my first time (at Schooldays) and I’ve enjoyed it,” Adams said. “There are some good players in this field and it’s definitely really competitive with it being match play and all. Usually tournaments are just stroke play.

“That’s definitely something special about this tournament.”

With a win Thursday, Gilliam can become just the third female to win three times. Her mother, Jennifer Haley, won in 1989, 1990 and 1991, and Alexandra Farnsworth won in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“Obviously I want to top my mom’s record,” said Gilliam. “But I’m just going to try my best, and if I can break it, I can break it.”

Five boys have won the title three times, including Richard Eller, who won four straight from 1961-64.

No female has ever won four straight, though Gilliam could have that opportunity because she’ll be eligible to play in next year’s tournament.

Jack Morris won 1-up in the boys quarterfinals over Isaac Walker, who upset top-seeded Trenton Johnson 2-up in the first round. Morris will take on Patton Samuels in Thursday’s 7 a.m. boys semifinal.

Morgan Robinson will square off against Lane Hooper at 7:15 a.m. in the other semifinal.

Reach Michael Murphy at mfmurphy@tennessean.com, 615-259-8026, and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.

Schooldays scoreboard

GIRLS

Quarterfinals: Ashley Gilliam d. Shelly Jang 5-4; Catherine Caudill d. Angelina Chann 6-5; Sophie Linder d. Sadie Pan 6-5; Kynadie Adams d. Lynn Lim 1-up

Semifinals: Gilliam d. Caudill 3-2; Adams d. Linder 3-1

Final: 9:45 a.m. Thursday: Gilliam vs. Adams

BOYS

First round: Issac Walker d. Trenton Johnson 2-up; Jack Morris d Colton Werner 3-2; Patton Samuels d. Trey Melvin 4-3; Collier Thompson d. Alex McClimans 7-5; Morgan Robinson d. Evan Anderson 2-up; Drew Howard d. Lincoln Haymaker 3-2; Logan Spurrier d. Sam Banks 3-2; Lane Hooper d. Joseph Stanley 3-1 

Quarterfinals: Morris d. Walker 1-up; Samuels d. Thompson 2-1; Robinson d. Howard 1-up; Hooper d. Spurrier 4-2

Semifinals: 7 a.m. Thursday: Morris vs. Samuels; 7:15 Robinson vs. Hooper

12-13 BOYS

Semifinals: Maddox Crowder d. Ethan Stanford III 1-up; Jack Taylor d. Tyler Williamson 1-up

Final: 9:30 a.m. Thursday: Crowder vs. Taylor