Cats Come Out in Top Three Despite Tough Weekend Conditions
CLEMSON, S.C. – Kentucky Women’s Golf completed its final round of 18 on Sunday placing third at the Clemson Invitational at The Reserve at Lake Keowee (6,386 yards, par 72).
The Wildcats shot +14 on Sunday to tally 895 (+31) for the weekend. Battling wind and difficult rounds of individual play, the Cats demonstrated toughness to work their way through each drive and put.
“There’s no doubt that we wanted to win today, and it’s disappointing when you don’t come out on top,” said Head Coach Golda Borst. “However, I am proud of our team. When conditions got tough, we stayed disciplined and we executed well this weekend.”
Fifth-year senior Rikke Svejgård Nielsen matched her best round of the weekend moving up eight spots to tie for seventh on the player leaderboard. Her Sunday round of 73 (+1) put the Denmark-native in top-10 standing following her top-20 finish at the Clover Cup at the beginning of the month.
Sophomore Laney Frye played an impressive 54 holes shooting a 70 on the first day of the tournament. Consistently staying at the top of the leaderboard for the duration of the Clemson Invitational, Frye finished tied for 10th with a cumulative score of 223 (+7).
María Villanueva Aperribay played her second-best round on the third day of the tournament shooting 76 (+4). Her two consecutive birdies at the beginning of the round set the tone of play for Sunday.
Jensen Castle battled through her 18 holes finishing nine-over-par with an 81. The junior finished the tournament T38 with Marissa Wenzler directly behind her on the leaderboard. Wenzler shot 231 (+15), but found her biggest success on Sunday shooting her best round of the tournament, 74 (+2). She increased 21 spots on the player leaderboard from her first day’s performance.
“We didn’t quite have it today, but we learned a great deal and we will continue to build on this experience as we now prepare for postseason,” stated Borst.
The Wildcats will not switch its focus to the SEC Championships to kick off the postseason in Birmingham, Ala. April 13-17.
BIRDIES FOR TORNADO RELIEF FUNDRAISER
Collectively, the team recorded 35 birdies throughout the Clemson Invitational. Prior to this weekend’s tournament, UK Women’s Golf tallied 148 birdies since announcing the start of a new fundraiser to aid fellow Kentuckians in the Western region of the state who were devastated by an EF4 tornado in early December of last year. In partnership with the Kentucky Red Cross, the program is asking for monetary donations or pledges. For each birdie made, beginning with the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and throughout the rest of the 2022 spring season, money will be given to those impacted by the catastrophic disaster.
Those wishing to donate can do so by clicking here.
For the latest on Kentucky Women’s Golf, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
