WEST POINT — A roller coaster is a good way of describing Mississippi State women’s golf’s performance during ‘The Ally’ this week at Old Waverly Golf Club.
The Bulldogs’ 54-hole cumulative score of 10-over is not fully indicative of how things went on the course, with the team shooting under par on both Monday and Wednesday while struggling mightily on Tuesday, shooting 15-over in the second round.
Luckily, a final-round rebound was good enough to finish second in the 12-team field, clinching the program’s highest-ever finish at the event.
“Last night, I really challenged the team to just be really decisive and make good decisions, be confident and make the decision to take control,” head coach Charlie Ewing said. “… We had to come from behind and put together a special round today. I’m really proud of the team for the fight today, hanging in there, fighting really hard and finishing out the round.”
The second round was the kryptonite for the Bulldogs as it was for every team in the field on Tuesday.
Eleven of the 12 teams shot over par in the round, with Tulsa managing to shoot even par, roaring back for a top-four finish in the event.
A combination of tough hole locations and constant wind speeds of 15 miles per hour or more contributed to higher-than-normal scores on the day.
“We came out and we turned it 13-over on that front nine,” Ewing said. “We ended up 2-over on the back nine, which was much better, being able to level it out a bit, but it really took us from a really good position to be able to win the golf tournament to a much less favorable position. … That front nine in round two really made the difference.”
Without arguably its two best golfers in Julia Lopez Ramirez and Chiara Horder, Mississippi State remained competitive thanks to a number of strong performances from its underclasswomen.
Freshman Avery Weed and sophomore Izzy Pellot both secured top-20 finishes overall, with Weed shooting 3-over for the tournament to finish tied for 10th individually.
Weed capped off her week shooting a final round 71 (1-under) while Pellot shot even par.
The talk of the week for Mississippi State was sophomore Surapa Janthamunee, who finished second among individuals as she shot 5-under overall.
“My mental game was great this week,” Janthamunee said. “I can handle myself in the position I’m supposed to be in. … Playing this course so many times, I felt like, ‘I got this,’ and I was really confident playing in this tournament.”
Her first round stole the show as she shot a career-low 67 to pace the Bulldogs, and she continued to lead the pack through Wednesday.
While the Bulldogs’ overall score in the event may not accurately reflect how well they played, the team may have learned a valuable lesson about consistency as their fall schedule comes to an end.
“I’m really excited about the way this team is growing and developing, especially through the course of this fall semester,” Ewing said. “I have really high expectations for the way they’re going to handle these next couple of months before we come back in January.”
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