FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There’s nothing like rivalries in college sports.
And after the second round of the 2022 Blessings Collegiate Invitational, two in-state foes have positioned themselves atop the leaderboard heading for a final-round battle come Wednesday.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State are at the top, and each program has different things on the line come Wednesday. For Ole Miss, it would be a big win for a program trying to find its way back to the top after winning the first national championship in any women’s sport in school history in 2021. For Mississippi State, it would be the second victory this fall for the Bulldogs while trying to prove they’re one of the best teams in the country.
“It’s exciting to have opportunities to have success,” Mississippi State coach Charlie Ewing said. “It sounds really easy, but they’re going to have to go out there and compete hard.”
The Bulldogs trail by two shots after the first 36 holes at The Blessings Golf Club. Mississippi State led after the opening round, shooting 1 under, but a second round of 18 over has the Bulldogs, ranked eighth in the Golfweek Sagarin rankings, chasing Ole Miss heading into Wednesday.
Not only is Ole Miss leading the team competition, senior Andrea Lignell is on top of the individual competition. Lignell, a senior, shot 3-under 69 on Tuesday and is at 4 under for the tournament. She leads Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez by two shots.
Lignell said a big turning point was when the men’s team came and followed the women’s team for the final six holes.
“It was absolutely amazing. I absolutely loved it,” Lignell said. “We came out watch them yesterday, the last four holes. It’s just so nice they’re just cheering us on, and I love it. It’s great.”
The Blessings Collegiate Invitational has a different format, with 11 men’s and women’s teams coming together and playing at the same time. In addition to that, all five players for each team play together at the same time instead of facing those from other schools.
In the team competition, second-ranked Texas A&M is in the mix, too. The Aggies sit at 18 over, with Clemson and UCLA tied for fourth at 23 over.
Individually, chasing Lignell and Lopez Ramirez are California’s Annika Borrelli at 1 over. There’s a three-way tie for fourth between Clemson’s Chloe holder, Texas A&M’s Jennie Park and Arkansas’ Miriam Ayora at 2 over. Park, who is fourth in the Golfweek Sagarin individual rankings, has finished in the top five in her first two tournaments.