WINFIELD — The Barton Community College women’s golf team stepped outside conference play for the first time this season but the result was the same — a first place finish.
The Lady Cougars easily won the South Central Kansas Fall Invitational hosted by Southwestern College Monday and Tuesday.
Barton traversed the 36-hole event held at the Winfield Country Club in 689 strokes — besting runner-up and host Southwestern College by 54 strokes.
The Moundbuilders were second with a 743 followed by Oklahoma Wesleyan with a 759. Dodge City was the only other community college in the event, placing fifth with an 831.
One difference from the previous three meets this season was the individual winner.
It was still a Barton golfer winning the event, but this time is was South Korean freshman Hye Rin Kim taking the honors. She bested teammate Natthakan Teeratrakul by four strokes.
Teeratrakul won three conference meets this season and placed second at Winfield.
“Hye Rin played really, really well,” Barton head coach Doug Kaiser said. “She was so excited after the tournament was over. She called her parents to tell them and they were all very excited.
“There were several pins the second day that were on slopes and that made it tough for some of the girls. Noonie (Teeratrakul) struggled with it the most because she likes to shoot at the pins and with them on slopes to the front, it was just roll back off the greens.”
The difference was the opening round when Kim shot a 4-over par 76 while Teeratrakul, a sophomore from Thailand, finished with an 8-over 80.
Both came back Tuesday to shoot a 9-over 81. Kim finished with a 13-over 157 while Teeratrakul shot a 17-over 161.
All five Barton golfers finished in the top 15 at the event.
Abbie Thelen shot 92-86 — 178 for a tie for seventh as the third Lady Cougars in the top 10. Madison Krull shot 95-98 — 193 for 12th while Madison Waldon finished 15th with a 97-101 — 198.
Barton is now done for the fall season and resume play in spring when the Lady Cougars travel to Salina in late March tee off the spring season in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference action.
“It was been a very good fall for us,” Kaiser said. “We won every tournament we played and really hit the ball pretty well. Some girls played better in some events than others but you expect that. In all, I am very pleased with the season so far.”