MEMPHIS, TN – The Northwest Mississippi Community College men's golf team wrapped up their second tournament of the year, facing off against NCAA Division I and Division II talent and held their own, placing fourth in the field of seven teams at the Magicians on the Green Invitational held at The Links at Pine Hill.

Atharv Sharma led the way for the Rangers, placing second as an individual thanks to a four-under 66 on the final day, improving his three-round total to two-under, joining two other golfers at under par on the tournament.

As a team, the Rangers finished the tournament at 32-over as a team, only one stroke back of Jackson State University and five strokes back of the host LeMoyne-Owen College. Northwest rallied from a 17-over second round to card an eight-over as a group on the final day, holding off Lincoln University of Missouri and well ahead of Central State University and Fisk University.

"We play in a really tough conference, but I wanted to put our guys against some Division I and Division II talent, and I thought they played great," Head Coach Adam Payne said. "All in all, I thought the guys played at a high level against a lot of really good players."

Sharma was the story for the Rangers, nearly playing a flawless round, with his only bogey coming on the 18^th hole, and playing the front nine to four-under par. The German freshman finished below par in two of his three rounds on the way to his second-place finish, the best of his collegiate career.

"He's really putting in extra time on the course and in the weight room," Payne said. "I think he's in a good mental spot and feels comfortable in his golf swing right now, with some little adjustments we've tweaked, and I am just super proud of him. He's going to play somewhere else at a high level once he leaves Northwest, and he's a great leader for us."

While Sharma headlined the effort, Caesar Ingendorf wasn't far behind, playing a very consistent brand of golf, going 72-73-73 over his three rounds, and picking up ten birdies over the 54 holes. The end result was a tie for 13^th and an eight-over at the end of the tournament.

Not far behind was Cole Elander, whose final score of 73 on Tuesday was aided by a one-under performance on the front nine. A double bogey on the 12^th was the only major blemish on the card for the sophomore, as the top three for the Rangers all finished in the top 20 of the field, with a tie for 16^th as the end result for Elander.

Andrew Tuccio and Davis Wilkins closed out the scoring for the Rangers, and either player could have seen their score counted, as both finished with six-over 76s on the final day, albeit with different routes to their scores.

Tuccio saw a tale of two rounds, with the opening 12 holes seeing him at seven over, with three double bogeys before he closed out the day with three birdies on the way to his 76, finishing in a tie for 23^rd in the field at 17-over for the tournament. Wilkins was more consistent in his round but wouldn't manage a birdie until the final hole of his day, closing out the tournament at 36-over, but posting his best score of the tournament on his final round.

The Rangers will have some time to wait before they take to the course next with their first MACCC match, heading to Meridian for the Jim Redgate Invitational on October 5^th and 6^th at Briarwood Golf Course.

Keep up with the Northwest men's golf team and all Ranger athletics at nwccrangers.com or on Ranger social media accounts.