UK Women’s Golf Back in Contention at SEC Championship
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – On moving day, the Kentucky women’s golf team moved itself into position to advance to the weekend with a strong final round of stroke play at the Southeastern Conference Championship.
Led by another stellar round from sophomore Sarah Shipley, the Wildcats shaved eight strokes off their score in the second round and moved up two spots into the all-important eighth-place position. Under a new format this season, the top eight teams from 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the weekend for match play.
With one round to go at the Greystone Golf & Country Club, UK has put itself in position to advance with a 13-over-par 301 on Thursday. But first the Wildcats must take care of business in the final round of stroke play Friday. Three teams – Mississippi State, Missouri, and No. 43 Tennessee – lurk behind Kentucky within four shots. The Wildcats are currently at 34-over par.
“I think we executed well for the most part,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “I think the difference (from Wednesday) is we had a few more putts drop. We still have quite a few bogeys on the scorecard and a couple big numbers here and there from a couple of the girls who counted, but we can definitely continue to clean that up, and it was great to see a few more putts fall for birdie.”
Friday’s round – which is shaping up to be a picture-perfect day with temperatures slated for the low 70s – will tee off at 9 a.m. ET. The Wildcats will be in the first group to go off No. 1. Live scoring will continue to be available at Golfstat.com.
UK’s move on Thursday was led by the surging Shipley, who fired a 1-under-par 71 in the second round to move into the top 10. Shipley carded five birdies in her round for her second under-par round of the season.
At the end of the day she was tied for eighth place, seven shots behind the leader, South Carolina’s Ainhoa Olarra. Thanks to Olarra, No. 10 South Carolina moved past No. 2 Alabama and into the lead at 6-over par as the top half of the leaderboard begins to jockey for match-play seeding.
Should UK make it to match play, the quarterfinals and semifinals would take place Saturday with the championship match scheduled for Sunday. The format reflects the NCAA Championships format.
“We’ve got to stay consistent with our message to them,” Borst said of the Wildcats’ approach in the final round of stroke play. “We had a good conversation with them to end the round. Like I told them yesterday, we’ve got to continue to learn about the golf course. Today we improved on our round and we can continue to do better. Our team is better than the 13-over we shot today.”
Shipley is seeking her second top-10 finish in her last three events after tying for ninth place at last month’s Clover Cup. The sophomore from Hastings, Michigan, got as low as 2-under par late in her round. She backed up to even par with two bogeys before she birdied the par-3 eighth hole (she started on the back nine) to get back to red numbers.
“Her focus in practice has been better,” Borst said. “That’s an area where we have challenged her at home. I think she’s taken that to heart. She’s been more deliberate at practice, she’s more deliberate on the golf course and she knows now what she’s capable of. I think it also helps that she’s challenged by her sister, who is out on tour. They have kind of a good match thing going when they’re both competing, and I think that’s been helpful with Sarah.”
Shipley wasn’t the sole reason for Kentucky’s move Thursday. Junior Leonie Bettel returned to form with a 75 in the second round. Had it not been for a five-hole stretch Wednesday where she went 9-over par over five holes, she’d be right there with Shipley among the leaders. She’s played the rest of the tournament at just 2-over par and is at 11-over par overall, in a tie for 38th.
Senior Grace Rose is ahead of Bettel in a tie for 27th place. She fired a 76 for the second consecutive day and has shown glimpses of the play she exhibited during three top-20 finishes earlier in the season.
Senior Isabelle Johansson is at 13-over par and in a tie for 49th after a 79 in the second round. Of course, she’s got the potential to go as low as anyone on the team after one of the most decorated careers in school history.
Redshirt senior Ale Walker is tied for 64th at 19-over par after an 82 on Thursday.
“We need our seniors tomorrow,” Borst said. “There is no doubt every shot is going to count tomorrow, just like it did yesterday and just like today. We’re working on our short game because I know it’s going to come down to up-and-downs and putts dropping and things like that. Anything can happen out here and we’ve got to continue to fight.”
The Legacy Course is playing at 6,253 yards, a par 72. Carved naturally from a visually dramatic landscape of placid lakes, meandering streams and the undulation of Alabama’s Appalachian foothills, the Legacy Course was designed by world-famous architect Rees Jones. The Zoysia fairways and Bent Grass greens found at Legacy provide golfers with surfaces that are both challenging and rewarding.
Kentucky has finished as high as second in the SEC Championship but has never won it. The Wildcats’ highest finish in the Borst era is fifth. UK’s 885 in last year’s tournament was its best 54-hole score in the event’s history.
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.
