UK Women’s Golf Posts Best Finish of the Season at Clover Cup
MESA, Ariz. – The Kentucky women’s golf team sustained pressure on a top-ranked leaderboard in the final round of the 2018 Clover Cup to snag a third-place finish, its best showing of the season. Finishing with two additional strokes over its first-and second-round scores, the field opened up for Kentucky late in the final round to post a 7-over-par 295 and push inside the top three.
A testament to Kentucky’s strong play this weekend, the only teams to finish ahead UK are ranked in the top 15 in the country. No. 15 Oklahoma won the tournament at 7-over par, followed by No. 8 Arizona State at 9-over par and the Wildcats in third at 17-over par.
Kentucky’s 54-hole total of 881 tied for its second best of the season and tops this spring.
“Today was another grind of a day for us,” UK women’s golf head coach Golda Borst said. “We had a solid start but the course played tougher; you had to hit a lot of quality shots to score. The girls all kept their composure and I’m very proud of them for battling and finishing with several birdies.”
Ohio State University tested the Wildcats ability in the final stretch, shuffling for the third-place spot. Ultimately, Kentucky came out on top with a one-stroke advantage over the fourth-place Buckeyes at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona.
Kentucky hasn’t finished inside the top three since placing third at the Cardinal Cup in 2016. Kentucky will use this rediscovered fight ability to compete in its last regular season tournament at the Bryan National Collegiate in early April before advancing to a strong conference field in the Southeastern Conference Championship later in the month.
“We will enjoy this finish but are just as excited to get back to work to get ready for the Bryan,” Borst said. “We left a lot of shots on the course this week and our girls are as hungry as ever to compete again.”
All five members on the Kentucky lineup cleared the top 40. Three Wildcats – junior Leonie Bettel (T6th), sophomore Sarah Shipley (T9th) and senior Ale Walker (T13th) – posted rounds in the top 15, while two are featured in the top 10.
“I’m proud of this whole group, it’s our first top-three finish this year and it was a complete team effort to get us there,” Borst said. “Leo and Shipley both had strong finishes and I’m pleased that Ale was able to finish strong and get in the top 13. Bella (Isabelle Johansson) and Grace (Rose) both struggled this week to score, but they are both really close to playing well and they fought hard for Kentucky this week.”
Bettel was a fundamental player in the first round and, after a difficult second round, bounced back Sunday. She recorded a 1-over-par 73, saving her best for when it mattered most with a birdie and five pars in her final stretch.
Kentucky has consistently relied on the Austria native to produce low rounds. Her success prevailed this weekend; finishing tied for sixth at 2-over par is her third top-10 finish in a tournament and ties for her best career finish. Perhaps a sign of more good things to come, she also tied for sixth at the 2017 Bryan National Collegiate while she was a NC State.
In typical veteran fashion, Walker forced three consistent low rounds of golf after coming off a nearly five-month break from competition. In the final round, the Paintsville, Kentucky, fired off a 1-over-par 73. Walker capped her round off with a birdie on her final hole, the par-4 fourth. Walker finished tied for 13th at 5-over par, her fifth top-20 finish as a Wildcat.
After soaring 31 spots up the leaderboard on Saturday and surging into the top 10 with a career-best 68 in the second round, Shipley got off to a rough start in the final round with two bogeys and a double bogey through her first six holes. She answered back with three birdies, seven pars and two bogeys in the final stretch to post a 3-over-par 75. Tying for ninth, it was her best finish of the season and her second career top-20 finish in a tournament. Her 54-hole total of 219 was also a career best.
Rose has arguably been UK’s best golfer in the 2017-18 season with a team-high-tying three top-20 finishes, but she had an uncharacteristic off week in Arizona. She did, however, look more like her normal self on Sunday with her best round of the tournament, posting a 2-over-par 74. The Kentucky native came out of the gate with promising marks including a birdie on her first hole, the par-4 No. 6, followed by back-to-back pars and another birdie on the par-5 No. 9, but it wasn’t enough to get hot. Rose finished tied for 37th at 11-over par.
Johansson, who has been equally as good as Rose this season with three top-20 finishes, finished tied for 32nd at 10-over par overall. Her 5-over-par 77 in the final round marked only the second time in 22 rounds she’s failed to contribute to the team score.
The 2018 Clover Cup, hosted by Notre Dame, was played on Longbow Golf Club. Founded in 1997, it was redesigned in 2003. A par 72, it plays at 6,184 yards.
This week’s 16-team field included 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.
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