TUSCALOOSA, AL – The #5 Northwest Mississippi Community College women's golf team finished their fall season with a good showing at the Lady Buccaneer Fall Invitational, hosted by Shelton State Community College at the Ol' Colony Golf Complex, placing fifth out of 14 teams in the field, including multiple teams that were at the national tournament last season.
The Ranger placed fifth in the field, finishing the tournament at 93-over as a team, and placing one golfer in the top ten in Elsa Lomas Castillo, who finished in a tie for 6th place at 11-over after the 36-hole event wrapped up.
"I was proud of the women this fall and how they played in the national preview," Head Coach Adam Payne said. "I thought we played really well on day one, and I thought it was a great experience because we got to play in the final group, which means you kind of wait a little bit and the round is a little bit slower."
Castillo played a very consistent tournament, carding a five-over on the first day that included a pair of birdies on the front nine, and was only two-over on the back nine for a 77. Day two saw her run into a rough patch at the start, with five bogeys and a birdie on the opening six holes, but the freshman played the final 12 holes to two-over to finish with a 78 and an 11-over total for the tournament.
Elizabeth Kirkpatrick also had a consistent showing in the tournament, finishing the opening day with a nine-over 81, thriving on the front nine by going two-over before a stretch from the 10th to the 13th would see her go five over in the four-hole stretch. The second day was a bit more of a struggle, with no birdies on the card, but she would limit the damage and finish at 11-over.
That placed the freshman in a tie for 16th at 20-over for the tournament.
After a rough start to her opening round, Graysa Enders was able to finish day one on a very high note. Enders was 14-over after the tenth hole, with three double bogeys and two triples on the card, but on the final eight holes was able to go just one over, including two birdies to salvage a 15-over on the day.
Her second round didn't see any birdies, but also didn't see as many big numbers, with just a pair of holes seeing bigger than single bogeys on the card, and a 14-over was the result, leaving her in a tie for 35th at 29-over.
Rylee Summerlin was the final Ranger to finish with a score on the team card, and she was very impressive on the first day, shooting a 13-over 85 that included 10 pars. Her second day was more up and down, only picking up a par on the opening hole and playing the front nine to 10-over. Her back nine did see a birdie on the card, but three triple bogeys would hurt the final score, and she finished the round at 20-over. That would put her in a tie for 42nd at 33 over.
Avery Baker closed out the scoring team for the Rangers, and saw a tough pair of days, going 21-over on her first 18 and going 25-over on the second day, placing in a tie for 56th.
Evalynn Ward would participate as an individual and finished 73rd, improving her score by 12 strokes from the first day to the second day.
The Rangers were playing in the final groups on the second day, and Payne said while it might have impacted scores a bit this time, the experience is one they can build on going into their next trip to Tuscaloosa for the national tournament.
"It's good to get in that situation in the fall and learn from it, so when we get there in the spring and are paired in those final groups again with a chance to win a national championship, we will be able to draw off of that experience."
Northwest will be off until the start of the spring schedule. You can keep up with schedule changes and updates for the men's and women's golf teams at nwccrangers.com or by following along on Ranger social media accounts.
