MIAMI LAKES, Fla. ? Senior Kentucky golfer Ali Kicklighter (DeLand, Fla.) fired a season-low 72 Tuesday on the final day of the Papa John?s Collegiate Invitational as the Wildcats finished the three-day tournament in ninth place. The Cats, who rebounded from a difficult second round, completed play at the Don Shula Golf Resort with a 921 (305-312-304).
Kicklighter, who has posted two of the top four rounds of her career in this week?s tournament, finished the event in a tie for 10th place. Kicklighter carded an 8-over-par 224 (73-79-72) to lead the Cats.
?We looked solid this week with a few good rounds,? UK head coach Stephanie Barker said. ?We had a tough day yesterday and it is always difficult when you have to dig yourself out of a hole. I thought we did a good job of rebounding today. There are just a few little things that we need to work on before we go to LSU.?
North Carolina State captured the event by rallying from 10th place on the opening day of play to take the tournament crown. N.C. State, after firing a 310 on the tournament?s opening day, posted back-to-back scores of 287 and 295 to finish at 892 (310-287-295). East Carolina finished four strokes behind the Wolfpack with an 896 (305-294-297). Host Miami concluded play in fourth place with a 901 (306-298-297).
University of South Florida golfer Christina Jones took home the individual title after carding a two-under-par 214 (72-71-71) over the three-day event. Jones was the only golfer to finish below par and finished seven strokes ahead of second-place finisher Leah Wigger of Virginia at 5-over-par 221.
UK junior Katie Johnson (Lexington, Ky.) finished in a tie for 22nd place with a 228 (77-75-76), while senior Erin Faulkner (Bowling Green, Ky.) recovered from a first-round 85 to finish tied for 43rd place with a 236 (85-75-76).
Sophomore Beth Felts (Chattanooga, Tenn.) concluded play in 56th place with a 241 (75-86-80) and junior Marissa Muir (Tuscon, Ariz.) finished in 64th place with a 252 (80-83-89).
Kentucky returns to action March 3-5 when it travels to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic. Complete results and a recap will be available on ukathletics.com.
Team Results: Place Team Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total Relation to Par 1 N.C. State 310 287 295 892 +28 2 East Carolina 305 294 297 896 +32 3 Virginia 307 298 295 900 +36 4 Miami 306 298 297 901 +37 5 South Florida 308 297 306 911 +47 6 College of Charleston 299 311 303 913 +49 7 Alabama 301 308 305 914 +50 8 Mississippi State 303 309 308 920 +56 9 Kentucky 305 312 304 921 +57 10 Coastal Carolina 313 301 309 923 +59 11 Louisville 305 307 319 931 +67 12 UAB 322 317 317 956 +92 Kentucky Individual Results: Place Name Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total Relation to Par T10 Ali Kicklighter 73 79 72 224 +8 T22 Katie Johnson 77 75 76 228 +12 T43 Erin Faulkner 85 75 76 236 +20 56 Beth Felts 75 86 80 241 +25 64 Marissa Muir 80 83 89 252 +36
