COLUMBUS — It is said a golfer can’t win a tournament on its first day, but they can easily shoot themselves out of it.

The first day of Jefferson junior Shelly Ford’s first Division II state tournament experience Friday wasn’t disastrous. However, her first-round 83 over the par-70 layout at the Gray Course at Ohio State University left her with some work to be done over her final 18 holes today to get herself among the tournament’s top performers when she gets back on the course at 9:40 a.m., teeing off from the 10th hole for the second straight day.

“I didn’t have a horrible round, but I didn’t play great, either,” the daughter of Jeff and Mary Ford said.

There are two ways of looking at Ford’s round. When measured against the other 11 girls that qualified individually for the state tournament, her first round ranks her at the back of the pack. But when weighing her performance against the entire field of 72 golfers, including competitors on team entries, her score ranks her among the top 15.

Ford remains optimistic that an improvement of just a few strokes today might vault her into the top 10 of the entire group of 72 and thus earn All-Ohio recognition.

“The leader among the individual girls shot a 70 (Friday),” Ford said. “Then there was a 74, a 76, a 78, then 79, 80, 81, 82 and 83. I’m the last of the 12 individuals, but overall, I’m probably about 15th.

“There is a group of about six of us all within three shots of each other. If I can shoot a 77 or 78, I think I can be right up there. I hope I can get into the top 10 overall.”

Pine Lakes sectional champion Ariel Witmer of North Lima South Range carded the 70. Ford also emerged from that sectional.

Jefferson coach Sara Dean believes Ford is still capable of making up the ground to reach that goal.

“An 83 is not bad at the state tournament,” she said. “There are six people among the individuals within three strokes of each other. If Shelly can clean up her short game, I think she can do it.”

Ford admitted problems with her chipping and putting over the last third of her round were her downfall Friday.

“I started out on the back nine and I shot a 39,” she said. “I started out really well over my first three or four holes and was only one over.

“Then I got to my first par-five and I had a little trouble. I didn’t play any of the par-fives particularly well today. I had about a nine-foot putt for birdie on the 16th hole that rimmed out.”

The front nine, where she shot a 44, was a different story.

“I thought it was the easier of the two nines,” Ford said. “I bogeyed the first hole and parred the second. Then my short game sort of fell apart. I couldn’t chip or putt.