COLUMBUS — Another day with tougher pin placements and the finality of the event didn’t quite produce the results Shelly Ford was looking for, but Jefferson’s junior golfer walked away from the first Division II girls state tournament Saturday knowing she was in the top 25 percent of the elite performers in her division.

An 86 followed up on her first-round 83 to net 20th place out of the 72 golfers that competed either as individual entries or members of qualifying teams.

“It just wasn’t a great day,” Ford said by phone as she rode home from the tournament with her parents, Jeff and Mary. “My iron game wasn’t where it usually was and I was leaving everything short. Then I’d have to chip on in three and end up putting for pars, and the putts just weren’t falling today. I probably rimmed out at least six putts today.

“I had no good luck. It was just one of those days.”

There was some super shooting Saturday. Ariel Witmer of North Lima South Range, who emerged from the Pine Lakes sectional and Tam-O-Shanter district like Ford, burned up Ohio State University’s Gray Course for the second straight day, shooting a 69 Saturday to follow up her even-par 70 from Friday to claim the individual title. Witmer’s 139 broke the old girls state tournament record of 140 set in 1998 by Toledo Notre Dame Academy’s Heather Zielinski.

“It was her first year at state, too,” Ford said. “She’s a super golfer. I wish I’d had the chance to talk to her.”

Poland won the Division II team title in its first trip to state with a 679, edging Tipp City Tippecanoe by one shot.

Ford went into Saturday’s round knowing a good score had a chance of moving her significantly up the board.

“It didn’t happen,” she said. “There was no pressure. I knew I had to perform.

“I was driving the ball great, but I couldn’t hit the greens in regulation. I actually putted better than I did (Friday). I just couldn’t get any one-putts.”

But she was willing to take her placing as a positive sign.

“Getting 20th of 72 isn’t bad,” Ford said. “For playing like I did, I was pretty happy with what I did.”

First-year Jefferson coach Sara Dean was pleased with Ford’s performance.

“I thought Shelly did a really good job,” she said. “It was a great experience for both of us.

“Putting was a lot of her problems. The greens on this course are so tricky and the pin placements were really difficult today. It’s also a very long course. They had one par-five that was 520 yards and another that was 500.”