Golfer wins LC’s first solo medal since 2019

On Sept. 26, Kamryn Ford ’22  won the Wildcat Invitational in McMinnville, Oregon with a two-day score of 77 and 79. According to lcpioneers.com, her win is Lewis & Clark’s first individual medalist honor since Annie McCutchan ’19 won the 2019 Puget Sound Spring Invite. 

Prior to that, Ford had  earned second-place at the Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) Collegiate Invitational tournament for women’s golf in Tacoma, Washington on Sept. 18 and 19. As a result of her performance, Ford was named Golf Student-Athlete of the Week by the Northwest Conference on Sept. 24. 

Her scores of 77 and 74 on Sept. 18 and 19, respectively, were  Ford’s best two-day score of her college golf career. For Ford, the recognition of her performance and representing LC were the most important aspects of being named athlete of the week.

“It means everything,” Ford said. “(It’s) been a decade-long career of golf for me at this point. Having such an awesome team and coaches who have stepped up amidst some crazy coaching changes that we’ve had to deal with this year, it definitely means a lot.”

At the NWC Fall Classic tournament, on Oct. 9 and 10, the final tournament until the spring season, Ford came in fifth place with a two-day score of 73 and 74. Ford described the NWC Fall Classic as “the biggest, most important tournament of the fall.” 

Ford began playing golf competitively at the age of 11, and has been competing in Oregon for 11 years. When she was younger, Ford would play with her dad, using her “little kid clubs.” As a senior in high school, Ford was recruited by former Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach James Yen to play for LC.

Ford recognizes collegiate athletics as a meaningful opportunity, and she treats every round and practice as a privilege. Ford explained that COVID-19 took a toll on the women’s golf team, as they had to practice off-campus, and transportation was an issue.

“I know that this season is kind of a breath of fresh air for everyone, so, so far we have really taken advantage of those opportunities and I hope we just get to continue to do so,” Ford said.