BATON ROUGE, La. ? Seniors Elizabeth Dotson and Beth Felts each carded final round 75s to conclude the LSU/Cleveland Classic Sunday to lead the UK women?s golf team to a 14th-place finish in the tournament.
The 2008 senior class both capped the tournament in a tie for 41st shooting 14-over par for the tournament. Junior Mallory Blackwelder finished with her third round in the tournament carding a score in the 70s as she tallied a four-over-par 76 in today?s final round. Blackwelder led the Blue and White with a 26th overall finish on the individual leaderboard.
All five Kentucky golfers finished with a round in the 70s on the final day of play as sophomore Erica Still and freshman Louise Ljungstedt both walked into the clubhouse with a 79 through the final 18 holes. It was Ljungstedt?s best round of the tournament as she finished tied for 84th and Still capped the UK scoring with a 73rd place finish.
Florida State took top team honors after carding a team score of nine-over par for the three-day tournament. Host LSU finished six-shots off of the Seminoles? final score for second. FSU?s Caroline Westrup paced the individual leaderboard shooting eight-under par for the tournament. N.C. State?s Lauren Doughtie?s second place finish was four strokes off of Westrup?s final score.
This year?s competition consisted of 17 teams all of whom are ranked among the nation?s top-70 teams according to Golfweek headlined by the nation?s 10th ranked team Wake Forest. The field also includes: #26 LSU, #14 Alabama, #43 Augusta State, #65 College of Charleston, #13 Georgia, #36 Florida State, #60 Kentucky, #27 Louisville, #66 Mississippi State, #63 Ole Miss, #34 North Carolina, #41 North Carolina State, #40 UNC-Wilmington, #29 South Carolina, #44 Central Florida, #28 Virginia.
Play at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic began in 1982, when the original tournament was named LSU-Fairwood Invitational. Host LSU has won the tournament a record seven times in the 26-year history.
The Wildcats will return to action Friday, when they travel to Athens, Ga., for the Liz Murphy Collegiate hosted by fellow SEC member Georgia. Play will consist of a three-day tournament beginning Fri., March 21, and continuing through March 23. Complete coverage of the women?s golf team can be found at www.ukatheltics.com.
