March 19, 2003
The University of Kentucky women’s golf team wrapped up competition in Hawaii Wednesday with a sixth-place finish at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Rainbow Wahine Invitational. The Cats carded rounds of 317, 309 and 322 to finish at 84-over par in the 17-team tournament at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course in Kaneohe, Hi. The top-10 finish is Kentucky’s best showing since a third-place effort in the Lady Kat Invitational in Lexington during the fall season.
Southern California took first-place honors with a 33-over par finish, and the Trojans’ Mikaela Parmlid took top individual honors, shooting two-over par.
Kentucky was led by senior Rachel Lester. The Fayetteville, Ga. native was a model of consistency in the tournament, improving her score by one stroke after each round. Lester’s three-day score of 228 landed her in 12th-place for the tournament, marking her third top-20 finish of the 2002-2003 season.
Joining Lester in the top 25 was fellow senior Kelly Anders, who shot a three-day total of 237 for a tie for 25th-place. Sophomore Lauren George and Eva Gessner also posted solid performances, finishing in ties for 30th and 38th places, respectively.
Following their return from the islands, the Wildcats will take some time off to prepare for the Liz Murphey Invitational in Athens, Ga. Competition runs April 4-6 at the University of Georgia Golf Course.
AGATE:
1. Southern California 297-298-302-897 +332. Arizona 296-307-308-911 +473. Rollins College 303-303-316-922 +584. Nebraska 317-310-306-933 +69 Kansas State 312-309-312-933 +696. Kentucky 317-309-322-948 +84
1. Mikaela Parmlid USC 72-71-75-218 +22. Cassandra Kirkland Arizona 70-72-77-219 +33. Laura Myerscough Arizona 75-73-75-223 +7 Merynn Ito Nebraska 75-74-74-223 +75. Tanya Dergal USC 76-74-74-224 +8
12. Rachel Lester UK 77-76-75-28 +12T25 Kelly Anders UK 78-76-83-237 +21T30 Lauren George UK 82-76-82-240 +24T38 Eva Gessner UK 80-81-82-243 +27T62 Maggie Gabelman UK 84-84-84-252 +36*T69 Stacy Springer UK 89-83-83-255 +39
*-Competed as an individual
