Dec. 5, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s golf great Mallory Blackwelder, who finished her UK career with the third-lowest scoring average in program history, has earned her LPGA tour card after finishing top 10 in scoring on the Symetra Tour this season.
Blackwelder, a native of Versailles, Ky., had an outstanding season on the Symetra Tour, winning the Symetra Classic in May and posting three other top-10 finishes, including a tie for second in the Prairie Band Hotel & Casino Charity Classic in September. The UK great ended the season ranked top 10 on the tour’s money list with $41,381 total earnings. Blackwelder, who ranked top 15 on the tour in driving accuracy, ranked top 20 on the tour in greens in regulation, scoring average and rounds under par.
“Honestly, it hasn’t hit me yet. I don’t know when it will,” Blackwelder told the Lexington Herald-Leader. “People kept saying ‘Oh you’re fine, you’re fine’ but I was not celebrating until it was all official. I was so stressed about it and I’m just so happy that I got it done. I’m speechless.”
Blackwelder had one of the most impressive turnarounds in Symetra Tour history after finishing 95th on the tour in 2013 before the top-10 finishes this season. In her third year on the Symetra Tour, Blackwelder has one career victory, eight top-10 finishes and $69,291 career earnings.
Starting golf at the age of 11, Blackwelder has an impressive career resume as the 2005 Kentucky High School Athletic Association State Champion, 2007 Women’s Western Amateur Champion, 2010 Kentucky Women’s Open Champion and a participant on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break,” finishing third.
Blackwelder played her junior and senior years at UK after transferring from the University of Florida. As a junior, Blackwelder recorded the top scoring average for a season (75.34) in program history before leading UK to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine years as a senior. She was also named Southeastern Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year her senior year after maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
Blackwelder competed in all 10 events her senior year and had UK’s top individual score in five of them, including her win at the Lady Mocs Intercollegiate. She played 26 rounds of golf during her senior year, with an average score of 75.62, including a personal best of 72. Blackwelder ended her UK career with the third-lowest scoring average in program history at 75.62.
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