Chang, Rose Lead Wildcats in Second Round of the Clover Cup

MESA, Ariz. – Kentucky women’s golf head coach Golda Johansson Borst said after the first day of the Clover Cup that there were birdie opportunities on the course – the Wildcats just had to take advantage of them.

On day two, in the heat of the desert sun, the team capitalized with 15 birdies at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. The team shot an improved score of 296 (26-over par) on Saturday to remain competitive with the pack.

The Wildcats are in 10th place with a total score of 597 (21-over par) through round two, just eight strokes out of sixth place heading into the final round. With temperatures once again expected to reach the mid-90s, the leaderboard could still be fluid Sunday.

“It was another warm day here in Arizona,” Borst said. “We scored better but still left quite a few shots out there. We did a good job of finishing strong today and I know that they are all ready to battle hard tomorrow.”

No. 5 Arizona State, coming off a 13-under-par 275 in round two, leads the 15-team field at 20-under par. Houston (14-under par) and No. 4 Florida State (13-under par) are close behind.

Julienne Soo of Oklahoma is well out in front on the individual leaderboard at 12-under par.

The 54-hole tournament will conclude Sunday with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. ET. Live scoring will continue to be available throughout the tournament at BirdieFire.com.

Freshman Josephine Chang led the Wildcats in the second round, concluding Saturday with an even-par 72. It was Chang’s fifth even- or under-par round of the season but her first since opening her career with four straight at the Minnesota Invitational and East & West Match Play Challenge. 

Chang clinched the even round by knocking in three birdies on the back nine. She moved up on the leaderboard on Saturday and is tied for 28th heading into Sunday, squarely in the hunt for the best finish of her young career in a tournament format. Her current best was a 27th-place finish at the Ron Moore Women’s Intercollegiate in October.

Grace Rose, a junior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, continued her strong spring season with another consistent round on Saturday. Rose completed day two for the Wildcats with a 2-over-par 74 after a 75 on Friday. Rose has shot 75 or better in her last six rounds. The Kentucky native is tied for 34th at 5-over par overall.

Sophomore Claire Carlin, making her fourth career appearance and second in 2016-17, made a favorable comeback in round two with a 3-over-par 75. It was a remarkable 10-stroke improvement from her first-round score, and the 75 is the best 18-hole round of her career.

Freshman Sarah Shipley matched her round-one score with another 75 (3-over par). Shipley closed out her round with two impressive birdies on the back nine. The freshman Wildcat is tied for 41st.

Junior Isabelle Johansson matched her first day in Arizona with another 76 despite tying Chang with a team-high four birdies in the second round. It marks only Johansson’s second time this season with back-to-back rounds over par. The Sala, Sweden, native has shot even par or better in nine of her 18 rounds this season.

Even so, Johansson is still in the top 50 on the individual scoreboard with a slight chance to extend her season-long streak of top-20 finishes to six tournaments. 

Longbow Golf Club is playing at 6,184 yards this week with a par of 72. The course opened in 1997 and was redesigned in 2003. 

This weekend marks UK’s first ever appearance in the sixth year of the Clover Cup.