ATHENS, Ga. ? The University of Kentucky women?s golf team concluded day one of the 36th annual Liz Murphey Collegiate in 18th place after 18 holes of action.

Junior Mallory Blackwelder led the individuals for the Blue and White with a nine-over-par in round one. She is tied for 68th overall through 18 holes at the tough University of Georgia Golf Course.

Kentucky fired a 339 team score in the opening round. LSU and Alabama lead the way on the leaderboard as the Tigers hold a five-shot lead over their SEC counterpart.

The Wildcats struggled today with no player shooting lower than an 81. Senior Elizabeth Dotson fired an 84, with sophomore Kristin Vincent firing an 86. Senior Beth Felts went 16-over-par and freshman Paige Lausier firing a 91 to open play.

Tee times begin at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Top-ranked Duke headlines this year’s field, which includes 12 of the top-25 teams in the latest edition of the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. Following the Blue Devils are No. 6 Purdue, No. 10 Auburn, No. 11 Wake Forest, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Georgia, No. 14 Alabama, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 18 Kent State, No. 20 LSU, No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 25 Vanderbilt. Rounding out the competition are Florida State, Furman, Kentucky, South Carolina, UCF and Virginia.

The Classic began humbly in 1973 as the Georgia Invitational before becoming the Women?s Southern Intercollegiate Championships from 1977-94. In 1995, the tournament was renamed in honor of Liz Murphey, UGA?s Hall of Fame golf coach and long-time Senior Woman Administrator.

Complete coverage and results of the women?s golf team this weekend at the Liz Murphey Collegiate can be found at www.ukatheltics.com.