OXFORD, Ala. — The Northwest Mississippi Community College women’s golf team is in fourth place after the first round of the South District Preview at Cider Ridge Golf Club, despite losing one of their top scorers before her round. The team shot 58-over par through 18 holes, trailing Florida Gateway College by six strokes and Jefferson State Community College by 15.
Leading the field is defending NJCAA Division II national champion Shelton State Community College, which posted a score of 34-over par. Elizabeth Kilpatrick led Northwest, starting with a nine-over front nine that included two double bogeys. She rebounded with birdies on the 11th and 12th holes and played the final eight holes even-par, finishing the day at 12-over par. She is tied for 13th overall, one stroke behind a top-10 tie and three strokes from a third-place tie in a tightly packed leaderboard.
Rylee Summerlin, another freshman, finished just one stroke behind Kilpatrick. She started strong, bogeying the first two holes but finishing the front nine at four-over par. She birdied the 11th but struggled on the back nine, finishing at 13-over par for the day. Graysa Enders had a more consistent round but was slowed by a triple bogey on the third hole and an eight on the 11th, ending at 15-over par and tied for 18th.
Sarah Niblett, a sophomore, finished at 18-over par. She birdied the par-five fourth hole but had six double bogeys and only four pars, ending in 27th place. Evalynn Ward, competing as an independent, finished with a 36-over par score, tying for 47th. Tee times for the second round are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday, with Ward teeing off at 8:32 a.m. and Niblett at 9:28 a.m. The final group will feature Kilpatrick at 9:52 a.m.
