Women's Golf | 10/15/2023 8:08:00 PM
CARY, N.C. – North Carolina A&T's Sunday was not as good as its Saturday, but the Aggies women's golf team still finished third at the SAS HBCU Championship played at the par-70, 5,803-yard Prestonwood Country Club – Fairways Course.
The SAS HBCU Challenge marks the Aggies' final tournament of the semester. The Aggies return to action on Feb. 24-25 at the Bright's Creek Club Invitational in Mills Spring, N.C.
The Aggies led this weekend's tournament after the first day with an 8-over 288 before Howard University rallied from third place to win the two-round, two-day tournament with a 14-over 574. The Bison shot 2-under 278 on Sunday to move up the leaderboard. A&T, meanwhile, shot 31-over on Sunday to finish third at 39-over 599. Delaware State finished second with a 24-over 584.
A&T freshman Paris Fieldings also had a terrific first day. Fieldings found herself tied atop the leaderboard by shooting an even-par 70. Fieldings started the first round on the par-3, 156-yard 15th, and was at 2-over when she made the turn to the front nine. She got into a rhythm once there. Fieldings carded four birdies on the front nine, starting with a three on the par-4, 345-yard first. She moved to even par on the day with a birdie on the par-4, 378-yard fourth.
She put up red numbers on the sixth and seventh with a birdie on the par-4, 373-yard No. 6, and she carded a two on the par-3, 137-yard seventh. Fieldings moved to the ninth at 2-under before bogeying the hole. She returned to the back nine and parred the next three holes before a bogey on a par-5 moved her back to even par.
Fieldings had a problematic start to Sunday's round, bogeying five of her first eight holes. She did recover to birdie the par-3, 169-yard fifth. She secured another birdie on the par-3 seventh before parring the next five holes to stay at 4-over for the tournament. But she had an unfortunate bogey and triple bogey to end the round. She finished tied for 11th with an 8-over 148.
Victoria Stutts had the lowest tournament score for the Aggies, finishing in a tie for eighth place with a 6-over 146. Stutts finished Saturday in seventh place after firing a 2-over 72. Stutts' Day 1 included three birdies. She played steady throughout the first round after starting her day on the 15th. Her birdie on the par-3 154-yard second moved her back to even par.
Stutts did double bogey No. 3 before getting to 1-over with a birdie on the par-4, 349-yard ninth. Stutts had one more bogey on the day to finish with her 72. Stutts carded three birdies on Sunday after starting on the 15th. She did double bogey the 18th, as she went to 5-over for the tournament. She made the turn and bogeyed No. 1 but started to play better with birdies on No. 5 and No. 6 to get to 4-over.
Stutts lowered her score again with a birdie on the par-5, 485-yard 10th. She had three additional bogeys to finish the day with a 74.
Tori Mouton also sat atop the leaderboard after the first day of SAS, as she posted one of the best rounds in her career. She finished tied with Fieldings again after Sunday's action in 11th place with her 148.
Mouton posted five birdies during the round after starting the round on the par-4, 361-yard 16th. She birdied the 17th, a par-4 375-yard hole, and made the turn to the front nine at 1-over. Mouton moved to even par with a two on the par-3 second.
After a bogey on three, she returned to the red numbers with a birdie on the fourth. She remained at even par until the 10th when she bogeyed No. 10. But she moved to 1-under with a birdie on the par-4, 379-yard 11th, and the par-3, 145-yard 13th. A bogey on No. 14 is what ended her day at even par. On Sunday, Mouton had one birdie, a three on the par-4, 324-yard eighth.
Jayla Rogers and Kennedi Lee also competed for the Aggies. Rogers shot 76-81 for a two-round total of 157. Lee shot 80-82 for a 162.
Howard's Kendall Jackson won the tournament with a 1-under 139, followed by teammate Emily Mayne, who shot a 2-over 142. Delaware State's Emily Murray (143) and Alabama State's Thayika Kittyanaruewat finished in a tie for third.
