Waikoloa, Hawai'i – Early in October, Stetson junior Paige Kemp had to take some time to think about where her golf game was and where it needed to be.
 
Kemp failed to qualify for the travel squad when the Hatters competed in the Jacksonville Classic, marking the first time in her career that she did not get to compete with her teammates.
 
Fast-forward just three weeks, and the world is a much brighter place for Kemp, who survived gusty winds and a course that left to margin for error to capture medalist honors at the Dennis Rose Invitational at the Waikoloa King Course near Hilo, Hawai'i.
 
"It just doesn't seem real," Kemp said after taking a two-shot victory. "It was very windy and I started terribly. After that start, I had the impression that I wouldn't win, so I just played each shot the best I could."
 
Kemp went into the final round of the tournament trailing Sterling Hawkins from the Academy of Art in San Francisco by one shot. She jumped to second place by posting birdies on the final three holes of the day on Monday, sometime well after 10 p.m. eastern time.
 
After bogeys on her first two holes on Tuesday, Kemp thought she had no chance to win the tournament. After four pars, she had bogeys on the par three seventh hole and the par four ninth, making the turn at four-over par 40. She continued to battle the win on the back nine, posting three more bogeys, with one birdie on the par four 13^th hole.
 
"You had to hit your drives well out there because, if you missed at all, it was on the rocks," Kemp said. "The wind affected everything, including the putts. You had to factor the wind into every shot."
 
As it turned out, Kemp's five-over par 77 was enough to overtake Hawkins, who had an 80 in the final round.
 
"The first three holes were dead into the wind and were very tough," Hatters coach Floyd Kerr said. "Paige played with a lot of composure and a lot of confidence. She hung in there. She did not do well on the front, but she came on strong over the last five or six holes."
 
Kemp's teammate, junior Carolin Schart, turned in the low round of the day on Tuesday with a three over par 75. That was enough to move her into a tie for third place, four shots behind Kemp.
 
Despite their efforts, the Hatters were not able to make up any ground of the team from the Academy of Art, finishing second behind the Urban Knights, who are ranked 12^th in the nation in Division II. All five Knights players finished in the top eight in the field.
 
Besides Kemp and Schart, senior Giulia Vandenberg hung in to finish in 10^th place overall with a 19-over par score of 235. Junior Eilidh Watson tied for 13^th with a 21-over par score of 237 while freshman Erikah Neger finished 16^th with a 23-over-par score of 239.
 
For Kemp, the individual title was especially meaningful after all that she had to go through to get there.
 
"It means everything to me," Kemp said. "I have been working toward this for a long time. It was the support of my teammates that pushed me over. They told me that they believed in me and they really helped me. Without them, I would not be in this position. It was a fantastic time here. I will never forget it."

 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.