Freshman Ashley Nelson leads Lady Parsons Golf with sixth-place individual finish at Snead State Invitational

BOAZ, Ala. – Freshman Ashley Nelson led the Lady Parsons this week with a total score of 162 (80, 82) in the Snead State Invitational at Twin Bridges Golf Course in Gadsden, which earned her a sixth-place individual finish.

Overall, Snead State Community College Women's Golf placed fifth as a team.

"We didn't perform as well as I hoped," head coach Shane Marshall said. "But being the first tournament of the season, I think this was a real eye-opener for our freshmen, and there's a lot they all can learn from this one.

"One positive was Ashley, who played well," he said. "Of course, she has such high expectations for herself that she'll tell you she played like garbage. Going into the 18^th hole on day one, she had a shot at finishing with 78. But then she had a bad tee shot that eventually led to a double bogey for 80. So, there's definitely room for improvement, but she'll be fine … When you look at how she played compared to the rest of our ACCC competition only, she posted the third-best score."

Paine College, a four-year HBCU program in Augusta, Georgia, won the tournament with three players finishing inside the Top-Five individually.

"Another positive came from Sara Kilgo – one of our two sophomores," Marshall said. "She ended up shooting a personal best. I'm really proud of her and the growth she's shown since coming in as a freshman last season with not much experience."

Next on the schedule for the Lady Parsons is a tournament hosted by Wallace State on Oct. 16-17.

"Moving forward, we have to play with more consistency, and we've got to make better decisions," Marshall said. "Something I saw this week was after a bad shot, they'd try to hit a spectacular shot to make up for it. But when that shot doesn't turn out like you want, you put yourself in a tough spot. You can't let one bad shot cause you to spiral."