Feb. 15, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Carding an even-par, 72 on Tuesday’s final round, sophomore Ashleigh Albrecht held off a late charge from Minnesota’s Teresa Puga to be named co-champion of the 2011 UCF Challenge held at RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento, Fla.
As a team, Kentucky carded its lowest tournament score of the season by more than 10 strokes with a 17-over par, 881 to finish in fourth place among the tournament’s 17 teams.
“This was a positive start to the year for our team,” UK head coach Golda Johansson Borst said. “We had three consecutive rounds under 300 and I am proud of the team for that. We are really starting to see the results of all the hard work that the team has put in during the last semester and over the winter break. We still have room for improvement, but this tournament was a step in the right direction for us.”
Albrecht began her round on the third hole and pared her first seven holes before making the turn. On the 10th, a 393-yard par-4, Albrecht moved to 1-under par for the round with a birdie. The Murrieta, Calif., native would later hit a rough patch though, bogeying holes No. 16 and 18 to move to 1-over par for the round with two holes to play. Albrecht’s bogeys on No. 16 and No. 18 were just the second and third bogeys of her tournament.
Albrecht responded with the pressure on. Playing alongside Puga, who entered Tuesday’s final round seven strokes back from the individual leader, Albrecht held a one-stroke lead as they stepped up to the tee of the tournament’s final hole, which was hole No. 2 in their case. Puga applied the pressure by eagling the 469-yard, par-5 to take a one-stroke lead heading into the clubhouse. Albrecht birdied the hole however to send the two into a two-hole playoff. The tie could not be broken in the playoff though, and Albrecht and Puga were named co-champions.
Albrecht’s 8-under par, 208 at the UCF Challenge is the lowest 54-hole total of her collegiate career, surpassing her previous low of 222 set at the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships by 14 strokes. For the tournament, Albrecht had nine birdies, one eagle and three bogeys.
“I am so proud of Ashleigh. She played the entire week with such confidence and focus,” Borst said. “Her attitude on the golf course was calm and with complete determination while also staying in the present of each shot. I am so excited to keep up the hard work at practice and see where we can go this spring.”
Finishing in second for Kentucky was freshman Liz Breed. Breed played consistent golf throughout the tournament and earned a top-30 finish in the process by placing in a tie for 28th overall. Breed began her round on No. 5 and bogeyed two of her first four holes before rebounding with birdies on No. 12 and No. 2 coming back in. Breed finished with a final round of 3-over par, 75. Breed’s final tournament score of 224 betters her previous best tournament score by two strokes.
Junior Ashlee Rose rebounded from her second round 7-over par, 79 with a 1-over par, 73 on Tuesday. Rose, a native of Lexington, Ky., found trouble on her second hole with a bogey but immediately responded with a birdie on the par-5 seventh, her third hole of the round after starting on hole No. 5. The UCF Challenge was Rose’s best tournament of the 2010-11 year by three strokes.
Rose finished the tournament in a tie for 36th-place. Among those Rose tied with was sophomore Heather Lott. Lott shot a final round 7-over par, 79 to close the tournament with Rose at 9-over par.
Sophomore Megan Moir shot a final round 13-over par, 85 to finish the tournament at 22-over par.
Sophomore Betsie Johnson, who was originally in the team-scoring lineup, withdrew prior to the start of play due to a shoulder injury. Johnson had switched spots with Breed, who was originally scheduled to compete as an individual. Johnson ended up not playing however due to the injury.
The Cats will hit the links again at the end of the month in New Orleans, La., at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship. Golf Digest rated the tournament, which runs from Feb. 27 to March 1, as the second toughest of the spring season.
Check out UKathletics.com for all Kentucky women’s golf news.
UCF Challenge
Feb. 13-15
RedTail Golf Club (Par 72 – 6,079 yards)
Final results
T1 – Ashleigh Albrecht 66, 70, 72 – 208 (-8)
T28 – Liz Breed 75, 74, 75 – 224 (+8)
T36 – Heather Lott 74, 72, 79 – 225 (+9)
T36 – Ashlee Rose 73, 79, 73 – 225 (+9)
T77 – Megan Moir 74, 79, 85 – 238 (+22)
4 – KENTUCKY 287, 295, 299 – 881 (+17)
* Betsie Johnson – Withdrew (shoulder)
*Competing as an individual
