Above: Carmen Gonzales watches her drive sail down the fairway during her final day at the 2010 Class 4A State Championships. Right: The sophomore surveys the course as she prepares to take a shot. PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE Carmen Gonzales has no doubt she will be back.

After recording a two-day total of 182 to finish 38 strokes over par at the Class 4A Girls State Golf Championship, the confident sophomore was not fazed by her 36th-place finish.

There was no reason to be disappointed because, to her, it was simply a glorified practice round.

“It was a new experience, and I’m glad I got to come so I know what it is like for next year,” Gonzales said. “Next year, I really want to come in and compete.

“[Now I know] there is a lot of pressure.”

The high-stakes atmosphere had an immediate effect on the underclassman, as she recorded double bogeys on her first two holes of the tournament.

Gonzales found her rhythm, however, and recovered to shoot par on the next three holes. But it was feast or famine for Gonzales, who took a bogey or double bogey on five of the following six holes en route to an opening-round score of 94, 22 strokes over par.

“[I struggled most] with my mental game,” Gonzales said.

During a relaxed practice round at the tournament site -- Austin’s Jimmy Clay Golf Course -- over the weekend, Gonzales’ score was 78. A repeat performance would have equated to a top-five first-day finish.

After an evening at the Dell Diamond taking in a Round Rock Express baseball game, Gonzales returned to the course Tuesday and shaved six strokes off her original score, posting an 88.

While holes No. 10 through No. 18 continued to give the Lady Badger fits, she was just four strokes away from shooting par (36) on the course’s first nine holes. After carding four double bogeys during the opening nine in the first round, Gonzales shot par on all but one of the holes during her second day.

“I started talking more with my [playing partners], and I just had more fun,” Gonzales said of her strong finish to the second round.

Having now experienced the initial jitters of high-intensity, state-level competition Gonzales already is thinking about how she can improve her game.

“I just need to practice a little bit more; a lot more actually,” she said. “I need to play in some really big tournaments so I can get used to how it feels.

“I think I could have shot in the 70s both days, but it is all right because I’ll do it next year.”