Kentucky Women’s Golf Places Fourth at Florida Challenge
LECANTO, Fla. – It’s a new season, but the same familiar names for the Kentucky women’s golf team found themselves near the top of the leaderboard in the spring opener for the Wildcats.
Seniors Isabelle Johansson (fifth) and Grace Rose (tied for 14th) led UK to a fourth-place finish at Monday’s Florida Challenge at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida. Originally scheduled to play Louisville in the fourth annual Battle of the Bluegrass, the Wildcats played the Cardinals as a part of the Florida Challenge, which also included No. 18 Florida, host South Florida, Miami, UCF, Jacksonville and Florida International.
After knocking off the rust with a 14-over-par 302 in the morning’s first round, the Wildcats bounced back in the afternoon with a 6-over-par 294 to finish at 596 overall, 20-over par. Johansson added to her trophy case with the individual championship in the Battle of the Bluegrass vs. Louisville.
Played on the beautiful Quarry Course (6,039 yards, par 72) Miami won the Florida Challenge with a 582, ahead of Florida (583), Louisville (588) and the Wildcats.
“First tournament of the spring is in the books and I saw a lot of positives out of our team today,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “Although I’m disappointed in our overall finish, I am proud of Bella for stepping up and winning the individual title in the Battle of the Bluegrass. She beat a lot of top players overall and it was good to see her swinging the club with confidence.”
Johansson finished six shots back of Florida’s Sierra Brooks (6-under par) for the overall Florida Challenge individual crown. Her fifth-place finish was her best of the season, her second top-10 showing in five tournaments in 2017-18 and the sixth top-10 tournament finish of her career.
Four of the six Wildcats in action improved their scores from round one to round two, including three of the five team participants. That helped UK shave eight strokes off its score in the afternoon.
With the seniors heading into the final chapters of their college careers, they were out Monday to start the spring season off on the right foot as the Wildcats, ranked No. 50 in Golfstat, try to make a seventh postseason appearance in eight seasons under Borst.
Johansson, Kentucky’s single-season stroke record holder, looked like the player that had six top-20 finishes a season ago with a strong day at the course. The Sala, Sweden, native got off to a fast start with two birdies in her opening three holes. She wouldn’t record another one in the first round but held steady with only three bogeys for a 73.
In the afternoon, she dipped into red numbers with two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 15th hole. The 71 in the second round put her at even par for the tournament for her team-high-tying fourth round of even par or better.
Rose, Kentucky’s most consistent golfer in the fall, fought back from a tournament-opening 77 with an even-par 72 in the second round. She’s tied with Johansson with four rounds of even par or better.
Co-champion of the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational in the fall, Rose was actually 2-under par in her second round until a pair of late bogeys. Her 14th-place finish was her second top-20 showing of the season.
Junior Claire Carlin placed inside the top 20 for the first time in her career with back-to-back 75s. She totaled a combined three birdies in the two rounds for her best 18-hole scores since the season-opening Minnesota Invitational.
Junior Leonie Bettel carded a 77 in the first round and a 76 in the second round to round out the qualifying team scores for Kentucky. She tied for 32nd at 9-over par. Sophomore Josephine Chang tied for 51st at 21-over par.
Freshman Sarah Fite competed as an individual and tied for 47th.
Kentucky is coming off a strong fall season that included three top-10 finishes, one top-five showing and a 75.9 stroke average. After a three-month layoff, UK’s schedule will start to pick up again.
UK will head to Tallahassee, Florida, Feb. 9-11 for the Florida State Matchup. The Wildcats will then be back in Florida at the Hurricane Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida, March 5-7.
“We’ve got to get back to work at home and tighten up a few things before we head to Tallahassee next week, but we are moving in the right direction and can’t wait to get on the road again soon,” Borst said.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
