Northwest Mississippi Golf Finishes Fourth at Memphis Invitational
The Northwest Mississippi Community College men’s golf team finished fourth out of seven teams at the Magicians on the Green Invitational held at The Links at Pine Hill in Memphis, Tennessee, according to school officials. The event featured NCAA Division I and II programs.
Atharv Sharma, a freshman, led the Rangers with a second-place individual finish. He shot a four-under 66 on the final day, improving his three-round total to two-under par. Sharma was the only player to finish below par for the tournament, with his lone bogey coming on the 18th hole. His performance marked his best collegiate finish to date, officials said.
As a team, Northwest finished at 32-over par, just one stroke behind Jackson State University and five strokes behind host LeMoyne-Owen College. The Rangers rallied from a 17-over second round to shoot an eight-over total in the final round, holding off Lincoln University of Missouri and finishing ahead of Central State University and Fisk University.
Head coach Adam Payne praised his team’s effort against tough competition. “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,” Payne said. “All in all, I thought the guys played at a high level against a lot of really good players.”
Sharma’s near-flawless round featured only one bogey on the 18th hole, with his front nine playing at four-under par. He finished below par in two of his three rounds, a career-best finish, officials noted. Payne credited Sharma’s work ethic and mental focus, saying, “He’s really putting in extra time on the course and in the weight room. I think he’s in a good mental spot and feels comfortable in his golf swing right now. He’s going to play somewhere else at a high level once he leaves Northwest, and he’s a great leader for us.”
Caesar Ingendorf also posted a strong performance, with rounds of 72, 73, and 73, totaling an eight-over finish and tying for 13th place. He recorded 10 birdies across the tournament. Cole Elander shot a final score of 73 on Tuesday, aided by a one-under front nine, and finished tied for 16th at 17-over par.
Andrew Tuccio and Davis Wilkins closed out the scoring, both finishing with six-over 76 in the final round. Tuccio’s day included a challenging start but ended with three birdies, finishing 23rd overall at 17-over. Wilkins posted his best score of the tournament on the final day, ending at 36-over par.
The Rangers’ next competition will be the Jim Redgate Invitational in Meridian on October 5-6 at Briarwood Golf Course. Fans can follow all Northwest men’s golf updates at nwccrangers.com or on social media.
Source: Original Article
