May 23, 2015
BRADENTON, Fla. — Day two at the NCAA Championships was a busy one for Kentucky women’s golf freshman Isabelle Johansson after a weather-shortened first round.
With four holes left in her first round, Johansson played 22 holes Saturday and finished her second round at 16-over par and in a tie for 88th place. After completing her first round at 9-over par, Johansson improved in the second round with a 7-over 79.
Although Johansson got her second round in, play was suspended due to lightning for the second straight day before the entire field could complete the first 36 holes of the tournament. Golfers who were unable to complete their second round Saturday will be back on the course Sunday at 8:25 a.m. Johansson will tee off her third round at 9:20 a.m. on No. 10.
The freshman from Sweden will need to make a big Sunday push to make it to Monday’s fourth and final round. After 54 holes, the top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will advance for one additional day of stroke play on Monday to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion.
“It’s been a tough two first days for Bella,” head coach Golda Johansson Borst said. “This course is certainly challenging, and if you are not able to execute your shots into the greens perfectly then you are in trouble. Bella is unfortunately struggling with that this week. She has been really solid off the tee all week, but she is having a hard time trusting her swing on the course. The green complexes are tough, and as you can see from the overall scores, it’s been a challenge for a lot of great players.”
The Golf Channel will provide live coverage of the final round of stroke play on Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. Fans can follow along with live stats for this weekend’s second and third rounds at golfstat.com
Johansson got off to a bit of a rough start in the second round with bogeys in three of the first four holes, but she calmed down after that and shot even par for the remainder of the front nine. Included in the five-hole stretch was a birdie on the par-4, 392-yard fifth hole.
“Bella is fighting her heart out and has battled for every shot,” Borst said. “I know she is very disappointed but also ready to give it her all again tomorrow.”
The Concession Golf Club once again proved to be a stiff test for the nation’s best golfers. Through Saturday’s play, only two golfers are in red numbers, led by Southern California’s Annie Park. Southern California leads the team competition at 14-over par.
Concession Golf Club was designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin and is playing at 6,468 yards and par 72 this week. The course is designed to be the ultimate test for the nation’s top collegiate golfers. Set among the breathtaking natural beauty of native stands of oak, magnolia and pine, the Concession golf course offers unique challenges on each of its 18 holes.
Johansson is representing the Kentucky women’s golf team this week as its first competitor in the NCAA Championships since Heather Kraus in 1998. She qualified in thrilling fashion two weeks ago by winning a three-hole, three-player playoff at the South Bend Regional to capture the third and final individual spot.
Consistency was the key to Johansson’s NCAA Championships berth. She led the South Bend Regional field with 43 pars during the 54-hole tournament. Included in her career-best round was a 2-under-par opening round that put her in a tie for second place.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow @UKWomensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
Second-round results
T88. Isabelle Johansson: 81+79=160 (+16)
2015 NCAA Championships
Bradenton, Fla.
May 22-27
Concession Golf Club
Par 72, 6,468 yards
