Ebonie Cox battled her way to an impressive third place in the historic DMV Sapphire Tournament in Maryland on Wednesday.

Competing in the inaugural event on the Sapphire Golf Tour, which is for Black female golfers, the Bermudian held her own to finish the 36-hole tournament at the prestigious Country Club of Woodmore on 12-over 156, five shots off the lead.

“Overall, I am pretty happy just to be back competing again,” Cox told The Royal Gazette. “It was a great experience and the folks there treated us like home.”

The experienced player shot 78 in each round and, while pleased to have secured a top-three finish, she feels she could have fared even better had she been more clinical with the putter.

“I would have liked to have finished a little better and been a little more consistent, but I can’t be too upset about it,” Cox said.

“I feel like I hit the ball really well. I putted fairly decent for the majority of the tournament but didn’t really get rewarded for it, if that makes sense. I feel like I could’ve finished a little better had I made a couple more four-footers.

“I wouldn’t say the course was tough, but it was challenging. You had to put your ball in the right areas, so if you’re out of position you can really pay for it. The greens are also fairly undulated so a lot of breaks and different tiers, which we are not used to.

“While I am a little disappointed, putting it in perspective I have to give myself that grace in order to get myself back into these environments.”

Cox was tied for second coming down the home stretch but recorded a triple bogey on the penultimate hole after her second shot from the fairway landed in the water hazard.

“That was disappointing and it was just poor course management on that hole,” she said.

With her chances of a top-three finish hanging in the balance, Cox bounced back in style with a birdie on the last hole to sign off on a brighter note.

“It was nice to end like that and see a little glimpse of what could be,” said Cox, who picked up $2,500 in prize money.

“To leave with a little more than you came with isn’t a bad thing and that’s definitely a bonus” she said.

Above all, Cox is thrilled to go down in history as one of the first to play on the developmental Sapphire Golf Tour, which is dedicated to increasing diversity in professional golf by creating competitive opportunities for African-American women.

Designed to bridge the gap between collegiate and elite-level competition, the tour provides a platform for rising talent to compete, earn and gain the exposure needed to excel in the sport.

“I think it’s pretty dope being a part of the first of something for us and I am looking forward to just doing my part really,” she said.

“It came off pretty well. The people behind the scenes worked very hard and I thoroughly enjoyed the event.”

American Cami March won the historic tournament by three shots.

Meanwhile, Burgess’s compatriot Camiko Smith endured a tough day in the second round of the DP World Tour Qualifier at The Players Club in Bristol, England, yesterday.

The professional shot 82, which contained ten bogeys and a double on the last hole, to slip from 68th to 71st among the field of 75.

Smith, who carded 78 in the opening round, has yet to make a birdie at the event.

Max Orrin holds a two-shot advantage over the rest of the field at the midway stage of the 72 -hole event.

The Englishman was one of two players shooting 67, the second-lowest round of the day.