Hack’s Career Day Highlights Solid Second Day for UK Women’s Golf

Second-round results | Final-round tee times

BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C. – Kentucky women’s golf head coach Golda Johansson Borst was excited coming into this week’s Bryan National Collegiate. She felt like the Champions Course in Browns Summit, N.C., would play to her team’s strengths and believed she had a confident group entering this weekend.

Apparently Coach knows best. The Wildcats posted one of their best rounds of the season on day two of the Bryan, moving up five spots and into fifth place heading into Sunday’s final round. UK’s best 54-hole tournament of the season is fifth place at the UCF Challenge.

Four of five Wildcats shot 75 or better Saturday, including freshman Anna Hack, who carded a career-best 71. Her score of 1-under par is her first career even-par round or better.

Meanwhile, sophomore Grace Rose remained in contention for the individual title and in a tie for ninth place at 4-over par overall.

With Hack and Rose leading the charge, UK shot a 293 Saturday, just one shot off the team’s best round of the year, done twice this season. Three Wildcats are in the top 20 with 18 holes left to play, while Kentucky is just 10 shots removed from second place. 

Defending champion Virginia still leads the tournament at 6-over par. Florida State’s Matilda Castren has stormed into the lead at 2-under par. 

Hack took over the No. 1 spot in this week’s lineup after a steady rise the past few tournaments. She’s always had the potential to go low, but the biggest change in the freshman has been consistency, with 11 straight rounds in the 70s. 

Her latest round is her best yet.

The Paducah, Ky., native recorded a team-high five birdies on Saturday and she has eight for the tournament, tied for the most in the field. Hack was the biggest riser of the day, moving up a Saturday-best 29 spots to a tie for 15th place. At 5-over par overall, she has a chance to top her career-best finish of 14th place, set two weeks ago at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic.

Rose is actually in the best position of the Wildcats after a second straight day with a 74. The sophomore bogeyed two holes on her opening nine Saturday but bounced back with two birdies on the second nine. 

As it stands now, in a tie for ninth place, Rose looks poised to notch her best career finish. With 26 pars in two rounds, tied for the third most in the tournament, she’s only six shots back of the lead. 

Steady as always, sophomore Isabelle Johansson quietly had a very good round Saturday. UK’s leader in stroke average and top-50 finishes this season posted 15 pars in the second round to go along with a birdie and two bogeys. After Saturday’s 73, she’s in a tie for 19th at 6-over par.

Junior Jordan Chael is on track for her best finish of the spring after a 75 in the second round. She’s in a tie for 41st place.

Senior Cylia Damerau is just outside the top 50 and in a tie for 52nd at 12-over par overall.

The tournament concludes Sunday with the final 18 holes. Play will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.

This 19th annual Bryan National Collegiate features 10 teams in Golfstat’s top 50.

The Champions Course at Bryan Park is playing at 6,386 yards this week and a par 72. Opened in 1990 under the design of world-renowned golf course architect Rees Jones, seven holes at the Champions Course border the scenic Lake Townsend.

Ranked in 1990 as the runner-up for the best new public course in the country by Golf Digest, the course has since been ranked nationally each year by major golf publications, including Golfweek’s best courses you can play in 2010.