Shipley Shaves Eight Strokes from First Round on Moving Day
MESA, Ariz. – The Kentucky women’s golf team overcame a tough start, with four of five Wildcats bogeying their opening hole, but the Wildcats responded appropriately by settling into the groove showcased in Friday’s round in the Clover Cup. Matching its first-round score, Kentucky fired a 4-over-par 293, and the Wildcats are positioned comfortably, tied for fourth heading into Sunday’s final round.
Sophomore Sarah Shipley was one Wildcat who bogeyed the opening hole, but she overcame the early mistake with a performance that gave life to the phrase “moving day.” Firing a 4-under-par 68, the sophomore mustered up a show good enough to shave eight strokes off her first round score, ending with a top-10 showing before the final round.
“Today was another battle for our team,” UK women’s golf head coach Golda Borst said. “We got off to a tougher start so I was pleased to see how the girls all responded to that throughout their round. They all stuck with their process and continued to create opportunities until the end. It’s only a matter of time before it will all come together for us.”
The Wildcats are seven strokes behind Oklahoma (15th in the Golfstat rankings), which sits in third place. Kentucky is in the hunt for its best tournament finish of the season. The last time the Kentucky women’s golf team finished third in an event was in the 2016 Cardinal Cup.
The 54-hole stroke-play tournament will conclude with the final round Sunday at Longbow Golf Club. Teams are scheduled to play in a shotgun format beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament at BirdieFire.com.
Shipley, who began the second round tied for 38th, rallied to card a round that featured three bogeys and seven birdies. Most notably, the underclassman tallied back-to-back birdies on the par-4 No. 6 and the par-3 No. 7. Then, after a bogey on the par-5 No. 9, she recovered with three birdies on the back nine to go with six pars. Shipley is tied for seventh with an even-par 144 approaching the final round.
“I’m very proud of Sarah,” Borst said. “She carried us today. She’s been working hard on her game and her round today is a product of her disciplined work at home. This has been a challenging year for her and I’m happy to see her play to the level that she is capable of.”
Shipley’s standout performance leads the Kentucky lineup in the 2018 Clover Cup. She also recorded her lowest 18-hole round in her college career on Saturday. Shipley will chase her second top-20 tournament finish in her career on Sunday. Her best showing in a tournament was seventh place at the 2016 East & West Match Play Challenge.
Isabelle Johansson rounded into form on Saturday, squeezing inside the top 25 with a 2-over-par 74. The senior delivered a solid performance after her first six holes. She recorded an eagle on the par-4 No. 8, followed by a birdie on the par-5 No. 9. Johansson is 5-over-par 149 for the tournament.
Junior Leonie Bettel fell out of the top 10 after posting a 4-over-par 76. She recorded back-to-back birdies on the par-4 Nos. 4 and 5, but that wasn’t enough momentum for Bettel to force her way up the leaderboard. The Austria native is tied for 12th with a 1-over-par 145 after spending part of Saturday tied for first.
After a nearly five-month break from action, senior Ale Walker has hardly missed a beat. The Kentucky native recorded a 3-over-par 75 in the second round (tied for 20th) and will look for her fifth top-20 finish after the final round.
Senior Grace Rose didn’t produce the performance the Wildcats usually get out of the veteran on moving day. With a 4-over-par 76, Rose finished one stroke better than an uncharacteristic first round. She will keep a top-50 showing with a 9-over-par 153 in her first two rounds (tied for 47th).
This week’s 16-team field, in addition to UK, features host Notre Dame, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Delaware, FIU, IUPUI, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas State, Toledo, UNC Charlotte and UNC Greensboro. Four of those teams are ranked in the top 50 and two – No. 8 Arizona State and No. 15 Oklahoma – are in the top 15.
Longbow Golf Club, which opened in 1997 and was redesigned in 2003, is playing at 6,184 yards, a par 72.
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.
