Abigail Rigsby has won her first collegiate golf tournament.
The Courtenay-raised sophomore at Oklahoma Christian University turned a one-shot lead from Monday’s first round into a four-shot runaway in the Midwestern State Invitational at Wichita Falls Country Club in Texas. Her final-round 4-over-par 76 gave her a two-day total of 149 over the 5,843-yard course.
“I had never led a tournament before, after the first day,” Rigby said by email Tuesday. “I didn’t feel like there was a lot of pressure on me, and I didn’t put any on myself because I know I don’t perform when I do that. I just took it one shot at a time today and trusted my preparation.”
In Tuesday’s round, Rigsby had nothing worse than a bogey to go with 12 pars and one birdie on a par-3. The latter essentially sealed her win — the 15th individual title by an OCU golfer in the program’s seven-season history. She is the school’s fifth player to win a tournament.
In 20 career events, Rigsby has 11 top-10 finishes. Last week, she was runner-up at the Diffie Ford-Lincoln Invitational at Kickingbird Golf Course in Edmond, Okla.
Rigsby has an auspicious history with Wichita Falls Country Club.
Wichita Falls hosted last year’s NCAA Division II West Super Regional tournament, for which Rigsby qualified as an individual. At that tournament, after shooting 11-over 83 in the opening round, she was the best player in the field over the final 36 holes, shooting a 71, then a 72 – the latter while battling illness – to squeeze into a playoff and earn an individual berth to the Division II Championship.
She opened this week’s tournament with a 73 on Monday and showed little signs of nerves on Tuesday, never coming close to losing her lead.
“My coach and I worked hard to get me ready to come back to Wichita Falls after the ordeal at regionals there last year. I honestly had no idea where I stood in the field until my last putt on my last hole.”
Rigsby’s win helped the OCU Lady Eagles post an eighth-place finish in a loaded 19-team field that included several squads contending for a post-season berth.
She has been named the Heartland Conference player of the week for the first time in her career.
