UK Women’s Golf Concludes Fall Season at Landfall Tradition
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Kentucky women’s golf team is back in action this weekend, rounding out the fall season with arguably its most difficult tournament on the fall schedule. The Wildcats will play in the 16th annual Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina, hosted by the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Some of the nation’s most talented teams will be at the Country Club of Landfall this weekend with half of the 18-team field ranked in GolfStat’s top-25 rankings and five of the nation’s top-10 teams in attendance.
The tournament will open with a double-tee start on Friday and Saturday, followed by a shotgun start for the final round Sunday. Friday’s round will start as early at 8:30 a.m., with the Wildcats’ first tee time at 9:15 a.m.
Live scoring will be available throughout the weekend at GolfStat.com.
Kentucky is making a rapid return to play, transitioning from the Cardinal Cup last weekend to the Landfall Tradition on Friday. The team placed 10th at the U of L Golf Club over the weekend, with a standout top-20 finish by junior Leonie Bettel.
“We have a quick turnaround this week and are ready to get back on the road to Wilmington,” head coach Golda Borst said. “This tournament is one of the best women’s collegiate events in the country and it’s played at a great course that’s hosted several NCAA Championships.”
The Country Club of Landfall, which has four different courses, will use the Pete Dye Course for this week’s competition. Playing as a par 72 and 6,166 yards, the Pete Dye Course consists of rolling hills and undulating fairways, framing picturesque shots into challenging greens guarded by white sand bunkers and fresh water ponds. It played host to the 2010 NCAA Championships.
The 18-team field – 13 of which are ranked in the top 50 of Golfstat’s latest rankings – consists of Alabama, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Furman, Kentucky, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, NC State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, UCF, UNCW and Virginia. Twelve of the 18 teams in the field made NCAA regional appearances last season, Kentucky included.
“This will be the most challenging field that we will face this semester,” Borst said. “It’s a tournament that I have been looking forward to all fall as a coach because it gives us an opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country.”
Kentucky’s attendance this weekend will mark just the second time it has competed in Wilmington. The Wildcats first appeared at the Landfall Tradition in 2015. They demonstrated a competitive performance in their final round, firing a 292 (4-over-par).
Seniors Grace Rose and Isabelle Johansson represented the Wildcats at the Landfall Tradition in 2015. Rose captured her career-best 18-hole score in her final round at the tournament, posting a 67 (5-under-par). Bettel, a junior transfer, also has two Landfall Tradition appearances with NC State.
“Three of our players have played here before and I think that will help our entire team as we prepare to compete this weekend,” Borst said.
Kentucky’s team’s lineup features Rose, Bettel, Johansson, sophomore Sarah Shipley and junior Claire Carlin.
Leading the Kentucky lineup in scoring average for fall is Rose with a 73.4. She won her first collegiate tournament championship this season at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational with a 54-hole career-best 211 (3-under-par). The Kentucky native has two rounds under par on the season and has been UK’s most consistent player on the team in its first three tournaments.
Bettel finished as the top player among the Wildcat bunch in two of her three tournament appearances this season, recording a team-high two top-20 finishes so far. Bettel has competed in the Landfall Tradition twice with NC State, including a top-25 finish as a freshman.
Johansson had an uncharacteristically rough time at the Cardinal Cup last week but carded her fifth top-10 finish in her Wildcat career at the Bettie Lou three weeks ago. She fired a final-round 75 in 2015 Landfall Tradition.
The Landfall Tradition will mark the 15th consecutive event Shipley will compete in since her tournament debut in 2016. It’s also her first time appearing on Kentucky’s team’s lineup since the season opener at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, where she posted a 54-hole career-best 221 (5-over-par).
Carlin also recorded a 54-hole career-best at the Mercedes-Benz with a 222 (6-over-par) and hopes to finish the season as a top performer in Wilmington.
“We have a great deal of experience from top to bottom in our lineup and I am confident that this team is ready to take on the Dye course,” Borst said.
The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies Friday and a chance of rain Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will peak in the mid 70s.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
