April 16, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With an even-par 71, freshman Ashleigh Albrecht led the University of Kentucky women’s golf team to a first-round 302 at the Southeastern Conference Championship on Friday at the North River Yacht Club (par 71, 6,057 yards) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Albrecht currently stands in 14th as the only Wildcat in the top 20. Beginning on the back nine, Albrecht opened the round with a 1-over-par 36. The freshman then went one under on the front nine with a bogey on No. 7 and birdies on holes No. 1 and No. 6.
“Ashleigh Albrecht played a very solid round today which included four birdies,” head coach Myra Blackwelder said. “For the most part, the team played well today with the exception of one bad hole, the par four No. 15 which is over the water. The girls are very close to pulling together a low round, now it is just a matter of doing it.”
Finishing the day in a tie for 33rd, sophomore Ashlee Rose turned in Kentucky’s second score with a 3-over 74. Freshman Betsie Johnson carded a 78 to come in third for the Wildcats.
Senior Sara Hurwitch and freshman Heather Lott each turned in a 79 on the first round.
Georgia and Arkansas currently lead the championship at 4-under (280), while South Carolina’s Benedicte Toumpsin stands as the top individual with a 3-under 68.
Seven top-25 teams are competing in the three-day, 54-hole event. Play resumes Saturday and Sunday with 18 holes scheduled each day. Kentucky tees off Saturday beginning on hole No. 10 at 9:30 a.m. EST. Tee times begin at 9:30 a.m. Sunday as well.
Last time out, the Wildcats fired a 912 (311-294-307) at the Anteater Invitational to place third, marking the squad’s second-best finish of the season. In September, Kentucky placed second at the Napa River Grill Cardinal Cup with an 898 (202-290-305).
UK’s 54-hole low came at November’s Challenge at Onion Creek when the squad broke two school records. With a third-round 284, the Wildcats broke the school’s single-round record, while senior Kristin Vincent fired a 5-under-par 65 to break the individual single-round record. Kentucky placed 11th overall at the event.
Last season at the SEC Championship, Kentucky finished 11th with a 918 (313-297-308). Mallory Blackwelder led the Wildcats’ effort, finishing tied for 26th (74-74-76). Auburn took the 2009 title behind a 1-over-par 285, while Marta Silva of Georgia took the individual crown with a 3-under-par 210.
Live stats for the 2010 SEC Championship are available at golfstat.com. For complete coverage of the Kentucky women’s golf team, stay tuned to UKathletics.com.
First Round Results
11 Kentucky302
T14 Ashleigh Albrecht 71
T33 Ashlee Rose 74
T50 Betsie Johnson 78
T55 Sara Hurwitch 79
T55 Heather Lott 79
2010 SEC Championship Field
No. 3 Auburn
No. 7 Alabama
No. 10 Florida
No. 14 Tennessee
No. 16 Georgia
No. 18 LSU
No. 23 Vanderbilt
No. 26 South Carolina
Arkansas
Kentucky
Mississippi State
