Payton Carter

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

/ Women's Golf

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Photo by: Kentucky Golf Association

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

Photo by: Velvet Milkman-Murray State Athletics

Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics

2023-24

Saw action in 29 rounds with a scoring average of 76.6
Had a record of 390-308-30.
Tied for first at the inaugural playing of The Velvet at CC of Paducah with scores of 73-75-78=226.
Won the Jan Weaver Invitational on scores of 71-74-68=213.
Placed eighth at the Georgia State Invitational on scores of 76-74=150.
Placed 37^th at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Kapolei, Hawaii on scores of 76-77-71=224.
In her final event as a Racer, placed 30^th at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on scores of 79-78-75=232.
Shared MVC Player of the Week honor with teammate Eliza Mae Kho on March 28.
Named MVC Player of the Week on April 10.
Named to the MVC All-Scholar Team.

2022-23

Continued amazing MSU career by being named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in spring 2023.
Coupled with her OVC POY award from 2022, Carter becomes third MSU player to win back-to-back league honors and certainly one of few in NCAA DI women’s golf to win back to back honors in different conferences.
Named to All-MVC First Team and MVC All-Scholar First Team.
Had 36-hole lead at the Valley Championship at Annbriar GC in Waterloo, Ill. Where she was part of a playoff with Drake’s Kristen Giles and of Kate Petrova of Evansville.
Petrova won the MVC individual title with a birdie on the group’s third time playing the 18^th hole at Annbriar.
Carter had rounds of 79-72-80=231 at the MVC Championship and helped the Racers to a fifth-place finish on scores of 325-314-314=953.
In the 2022-23 season, saw action in 11 events with a scoring average of 75.1 which ranked fifth in the MVC.
Had seven top-5 finishes including a win at MSU’s home event at Miller Memorial, Jan Weaver Invitational (72-72-72=216), second place at APSU Intercollegiate (77-76-74=227) and third at Lady Bison Bay Point Classic (78-76-71=225).
At the Atlantic Invitational in Boynton Beach, Fla. (Feb. 20-21), had her best 54-hole score with rounds of 70-71-69=210 (3-Under Par).
Her 69 at the Atlantic was tied for the second-lowest round in 2022-23 in the MVC. Her second round 72 was the low round in the field of 12 teams.

2021-22

Had six rounds of par or better including a season-low round of 66 at the
Won a share of the Chris Banister Classic in Oxford, Ala., on rounds of 71-74-69=214.
Named OVC Golfer of the Year and All-OVC for a second consecutive season after being All-OVC in 2021-22.
Became the 10th Racer to be named OVC Golfer of the Year and first since Linette Holmslykke in 2019.
Won medalist championship at the OVC Tournament in Muscle Shoals, Ala., (eight Racer to win it) on scores of 71-70-73=214 (2-under).
Was the only player in the field to finish under par.
With the new changes to the NCAA event in 2022, Carter is the first OVC player that automatically qualified as the individual champion.
Played in NCAA Regional at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.
Placed 36^th in a field of 66 competitors on scores of 77-71-75=223.
Made a big move in round-2 with a 71 that improved her standing 25 places which tied her with Christy Chen of Boston University as the biggest movers of the day.
Won the 95^th staging of the Kentucky Women's Amateur Championship Georgetown, Ky.
Beame the fourth Murray State champion at the Kentucky State Amateur and the first since Anna Moore won it in consecutive years in 2017 and 2018. Jessica Widman-Grace is the only other Racer to win the title in 2007.
Named to the WGCA All-American Scholars Team.
Named OVC Player of the Week (Oct. 13).

2020-21

Saw action in 21 rounds for a scoring average of 76.9 (11^th in the OVC), tied for best on the team with Raeshya Surendran.
Placed fourth at the MSU Invitational on scores of 73-71-79=223.
Was named All-OVC for the first time in her career at Murray State.

2019-20

In a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, she saw action in 18 rounds with a strike average of 78.4, which was fourth in the OVC among freshman.
Had a season-low score of 74, twice, at the South Alabama Intercollegiate.

2018-19

Started her MSU career by scoring a hole-in-one at Miller Memorial's par-3 No. 9 hole during her first month on campus during a qualifying round.
Sat out the season as a redshirt.

Before MSU

Played at Henderson County High School where her senior season was in 2018.
Played for Murray State Hall of Famer, and one of MSU's all-time great players, Jessica Widman-Grace.
Won the Kentucky High School Athletics Association Region-2 championship as a senior in 2017 with a score of 74.
She successfully qualified for the KHSAA State Tournament every season for six straight years from eighth garage through her senior season.
Took the title at the Paducah Tilghman Invitational with a score of 73.
Played varsity for HCHS from seventh grade to graduation.
Won the Marion Miley Junior Championship in 2016.
Had a career-best showing of 74-69=143 at the Kentucky Junior PGA event at Harmony Landing.

Personal

Born Feb. 4, 2000, daughter of Bob and Melissa Carter.
Has a brother, Ben Boaz and a sister, Kristy Epperson.
Earned her undergrad degree from Murray State in Learning & Behavior Disorders and Elementary Education.
Is working towards a Master's in School Counseling from Murray State.
Murray State Dean's List 2018-2023.
OVC Academic Medal of Honor 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22.
All-OVC Academic 1st Team 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22.
Women's Golf Coaches Association Academic All-Scholar 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23
MVC Scholar-Athlete 1st Team 2022-23.
Learning and Behaviors Disorders Outstanding Student Award Recipient 2021-22.
MSU Student Athlete Advisory Council Member 2019-2023.
Was a student ambassador and National Honor Society Member at HCHS.
Was president of Colonel's Corner Bank.
Was the recipient of the Dorothy Waters Golf Scholarship from 2015 through 2017.
Earned status at Kentucky All-State Academic Team from seventh grade through her senior year.
Her career-low round was a course record 61 at Henderson CC in 2021.
She has made one Hole-in-One in her career and it came in her first week during her freshman year at MSU during qualifying in August 2018. She aced the par-3, No. 9 hole, at Miller Memorial GC from 160 yards with a 6-iron.