March 28, 2010
DOVE CANYON, Calif. – Entering the final half of the spring schedule, the University of Kentucky women’s golf team is set to make its tournament debut at the Anteater Invitational hosted by UC Irvine at Dove Canyon Country Club (par 71, 5,960 yards) in Dove Canyon, Calif., on March 29-30.
“The team has had a solid week of practice and the weather continues to allow us to have an opportunity to focus on our short game,” head coach Myra Blackwelder said.
A 54-hole event, teams will begin play with 36 holes Monday, beginning with an 11:30 a.m. EST shotgun start. The final 18 holes, also set for an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start, will be played Tuesday.
Last time out, Kentucky competed in the Tiger/Wave Classic hosted by LSU and Tulane, finishing with a 20th-place 946 (308-36-312).
Throughout the event, the freshmen paced the team as Ashleigh Albrecht and Heather Lott turned in Kentucky’s top two scores. Albrecht, a native of Murrieta, Calif., led the Wildcats throughout the tournament and finished as Kentucky’s lowest scorer. With a 13-over-par 229 (74-78-77), Albrecht placed in a tie for 36th overall. Baton Rouge, La., native Heather Lott, made her spring debut at the Classic and came in behind Albrecht with a 236 (76-83-77).
Albrecht leads all Wildcats in scoring average with a 77.22 average on 23 rounds in eight tournaments.
“The freshmen are gaining a lot of confidence and Ashleigh Albrecht is looking forward to playing close to her hometown in California this week,” Blackwelder said. “Heather Lott has given the lineup a spark of good play, both at the Tiger/Wave Classic and in the intra-squad match we held last weekend.”
With a 248 (78-92-78) at the Tiger/Wave Classic, freshman Betsie Johnson also turned in a top-four score for the tournament.
Senior Kristin Vincent and sophomore Ashlee Rose join the trio of freshmen to round out Kentucky’s top five. Vincent’s best finish of the spring came in the season opener at the Hurricane Invitational. Finishing in the top 25, Vincent recorded a 229 (77-75-77), while Rose also posted her best score of the spring at the Hurricane Invitational with a 239 (78-83-78). Senior Sara Hurwitch reenters the field of competition at the Anteater Invitational as an individual after sitting out for the Tiger/Wave Classic.
“Kristin Vincent, Ashlee Rose and Sara Hurwitch have put in a lot of extra work this week with the goal of getting their games back into form,” Blackwelder said.
Joining Kentucky and UC Irvine at the Anteater Invitational are Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Long Beach State, Oregon State, Portland State, Sacramento State, San Diego State, San Francisco, Santa Clara and UC Riverside.
Next, the Wildcats head to Gainesville, Fla., for the Gator Women’s Golf Invitational on April 10-11. The event marks the final regular-season tournament before UK heads to the Southeastern Conference Championship held April 16-18 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Live stats for the Anteater Invitational are available at golfstat.com. Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for complete coverage of the Kentucky women’s golf team.
