Jax State started the spring portion of its women's golf season with a seventh-place finish at the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate at Hammock Creek in Palm City, Fla.
 
The Gamecocks finished the 54-hole tournament at +50 as a team with scores of 314, 306, and 294 during the three-day tournament. No. 37 Virginia Tech won the event with a total of 868 (+4).
 
"It was certainly a challenging start to the spring this week," said coach Robbie Fields. "I'm very proud of the way we battled to bounce back from a rough first round, and even better to finish off the tournament. They got to see the benefits of accepting mistakes and having resilience during the round. I believe we showed some serious progress from our work since the Fall and I look forward to seeing how that continues as we tee it up at home next month."
 
Sophomore Lara El Chaib was the top finisher on the roster at +6 for 54 holes in a tie for 12^th on the individual leaderboard. She posted seven total birdies on the week, posting scores of 76, 72, and 74. After opening the second round with a triple bogey, El Chaib responded with three birdies and 14 pars to finish the round at even par.
 
"I could not be more proud of the way Lara handled her business this week," said Fields. "The second round was especially impressive, for her to start with a wacky triple-bogey and bounce back with a hard-fought par save. That doesn't happen three months ago, and it's a testament to her hard work mentally and serious training on the practice green."
 
Sophomore Rebekka Stutley was in a tie for 32^nd at +12 (77-78-73).
 
Senior Ebby Somers was 37^th at +14, but had the low individual round on the roster with a two-under 70 in Tuesday's final round. After rounds of 83 and 77, Somers was two-under through nine in the final round with birdies on the Par 3 14^th and Par 4 18^th. A double bogey on the Par 5 2^nd put her back to even, but she immediately responded with a birdie on the fourth, and closed with one on the ninth to get back to -2.
 
"Ebby has been playing the best golf I have seen from her in her career," said Fields. "It was not the start she wanted or anticipated, but her round today showed what we have been seeing at home. She's put a lot of effort into her game, and has grown so much in her attitude and mindset on the course. I am proud of her setting a career-best round and believe it is a great sign of things to come for her final semester."
 
Redshirt junior Rachel Camp checked in at 61^st with a total of +21 (81-79-77) and Freshman Julie Kleppe was 67^th at +22 (80-80-78). Kleppe was responsible for one of just seven total eagles in the field with a two on the Par 4 7^th hole in the first round.
 
Next up for Jax State is the Chris Banister Golf Classic presented by Grub Mart at RTJ Silver Lakes starting March 8^th.