BESSEMER, Ala.  Methodist's 10th-ranked (WGCA) women's golf team is bringing home quite the haul after the concluding round Monday of the two-day Birmingham-Southern College Southern Shootout, earning first-place honors on both the team and individual leaderboards.

The Monarchs and Berry (Ga.) College both climbed up the leaderboard from fifth place to end Monday in a tie for first (620, 44-over-par), a deadlock that was broken by the score of each team's No. 5 golfer -- in Methodist's case, Alexandra Williams, who had the individual medalist trophy in hand after posting a 3-over 147 (74-73), five strokes ahead of the runner-ups and eight strokes better than Berry's No. 5, Jorie Hodapp (T-7th; 79-76—155).

THE ESSENTIALS
Event: BCS Southern Shootout
Location: Bent Brook Golf Course (par 72, 5,802 yards); Bessemer, Ala.
Top three teams: T-1* – Methodist (318-302—620, +44), T-1 – Berry (318-302—620, +44), 3 – Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) University (315-309—624, +48) [*Methodist declared champion based upon score of each team's No. 5 golfer]
Top three individuals: 1 – Alexandra Williams, Methodist (74-73—147, +3), T-2 – Charlotte Simpson, Carnegie Mellon (76-76—152, +8), T-2 – Vanessa Leiterman, Huntingdon College (73-79—152, +8)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Williams captured the first tournament title of her career by leading the field on the par-3s and par-4s, and draining five birdie putts, which tied for tournament-best honors.
• She finished her two rounds at a cumulative 1-under on the par-3s, and at just 2-over on the par-4s at Bent Brook.
• Williams was never more than one stroke from the top of the individual leaderboard, making the turn Monday at even par before shooting 2-over on the back. And Tuesday, beginning the shotgun start on No. 4, she collected four pars before the turn, six pars and a birdie on the back, and closed her round par-birdie-birdie on Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
• Teammate Morgan Bowen (82-73—155, +11) on Tuesday made the biggest leap up the leaderboard of the golfers in the field, slashing nine strokes from her Day 1 card to climb from 28th place into a finishing seventh-place tie. Bowen's stupendous day began on No. 7 where she reeled off five consecutive pars to start, birdied the par-3 No. 12, gave the stroke back on the next hole before marking off seven straight pars. A birdie on No. 3 moved her up the leaderboard higher, and only a 2-over finish on her final three holes prevented her from challenging for top-five honors.
• Finishing tied for 16th was Jillian Drinkard (80-78—158, +14). A double-bogey on her opening hole, No. 5, and bogeys on the next two holes were an unwelcome beginning to her afternoon, but Drinkard found a better rhythm on the back nine before closing out her round with four straight pars.
• The shot of the tournament came on the par-3 12th as Peyton Durham (82-78—160, +16) watched from the tee box as her drive disappeared into the hole for a hole-in-one. The senior finished Monday's round with 10 pars on her card.
• Durham finished in a tie for 22nd place with teammate Paige Church (82-78—160, +16). Starting on No. 8, her back nine after the turn was not the start Church was looking for, but she steeled herself and ended Monday dropping in seven par putts.
• Methodist's individual in the tournament, Sarah Sontowski (81-80—161, +17) was right on her season average (81.0) per round and ended the Shootout tied for 29th.

MORE NUMBERS

• Bowen tied with Williams as the tournament leader on the par-3s, also finishing the Shootout a collective 1-under on the short holes.
• Durham was a straight-up even-par on the par-3s for the fourth best mark on the holes.
• As a team, Methodist was the best squad on the par-3s and par-4s, and tied for the tournament-high honors with 99 pars over the two days.

UP NEXT

• Ranked 12th in Golfstat.com's relative ranking system used by the NCAA, the Monarchs claimed 'victory' at the Shootout over No. 10 Carnegie Mellon and No. 5 Rhodes College.
• Without a conference and any accompanying automatic bid, Methodist is one of a handful of teams that will instead vie for one of four Pool B and Pool C bids into the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship. National at-large bids to the Pool B (2) and Pool C (2) teams are scheduled to be announced by 8 p.m. on Monday, May 6.