UK Women's Golf Grabs Bettie Lou Evans Invitational First-Round Lead
LEXINGTON, Ky. – So far so good for the Kentucky women’s golf team in its quest to defend its home turf, repeat as Bettie Lou Evans Invitational champions and win back-to-back tournaments to start the 2019-20 season.
The Wildcats lead a 13-team field at 3-under par after Friday’s first round on the Big Blue Course (par 72, 6,114 yards) at the University Club of Kentucky in Lexington. With four players in the top 10 and all five players competing for the team score in the top 20, UK leads Penn State – last season’s runner-up – by two shots. Western Kentucky is not far behind at 1-over par.
It was a balanced effort from the five Wildcats competing for the team score led by senior Sarah Shipley, who is in a tie for third at 2-under par, just two shots back of Penn State’s Mathilde Delavallade and Tulane’s Carlota Palacios.
Junior Rikke Svejgård Nielsen is just a shot behind Shipley and in a tie for seventh with a 71. Sophomore Casey Ott and freshman Marissa Wenzler are tied for ninth with a pair of ever-par 72s. Freshman Jensen Castle is one shot behind them and in a tie for 18th at 1-over par.
UK led by as many as six shots early before Penn State cut into the margin.
“It was really exciting to get off to a good start today,” Kentucky head coach Golda Borst said. “The girls had some good moments on the front nine. They were really comfortable out there. And then as the wind picked up on the back nine we leaked a little oil. But it’s a solid start for our team and we just know that we have a lot left in the tank and we’re excited to get back at it tomorrow.”
UK will try to keep the momentum rolling into Saturday’s second round, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. Admission is free and fans are encouraged to attend after a strong showing Friday. The forecast remains dry for the weekend.
“Our girls absolutely loved (the fan support),” Borst said. “That was a really big deal and I’m so thankful (the fans showed up).”
Live scoring will continue to be available at GolfStat.com.
Kentucky is seeking some history this weekend. UK is not only trying to repeat as Bettie Lou Evans Invitational champions for the first time since winning it back-to-back in 1996 and 1997, the Wildcats are looking for their first multi-win season since 1997-98 and their first back-to-back titles in the same season since 1990-91, when UK would go on to win a school-record four tournaments.
It will take a weekend full of solid play to check those boxes but the Wildcats at least began the conversation Friday in business-like fashion.
Shipley, playing in her third Bettie Lou, carried herself like a senior who wants to continue UK’s streak Bettie Lou individual titles (Grace Rose shared the honors in 2017 and Leonie Bettel won last year). Two birdies and an eagle on the par 5 seventh hole propelled her a 70, her first round in red numbers this season.
“Being a senior, I know personally she has the goal to win it,” Borst said. “I think all of the girls on the team do. The No. 1 thing you want to do with that is put yourself in position. … I told her before the round started, she has to focus on her. When she does that, she goes out and plays really well, which helps us as a team. That’s kind of what they all need to do, but I’m happy for her.”
Svejgård Nielsen, who already owns five top-20 finishes in just 11 career appearances, is well on her way to another top showing and nearly matched Shipley with three birdies to get to 1-under par.
Wenzler led the Wildcats with five birdies – including three in her first four holes – to shoot 72, and Ott, coming off a sixth-place finish last week at the MSU Greenbrier Invitational, moved into a tie with her with back-to-back birdies to close the day. Both Svejgård Nielsen and Ott played key parts in last season’s Bettie Lou title.
Castle, who helped seal Kentucky’s Minnesota Invitational victory earlier this month with back-to-back 69s, including three clutch birdies late in the round, couldn’t quite match her third-place finish from her first collegiate tournament – at least not yet. The highest-rated signee in UK women’s golf history is very much in the hunt at 1-over par and in a tie for 18th. A double bogey and bogey late in the day spoiled what looked to be another under-par round.
Four other Wildcats are in action this weekend as individuals with junior Sarah Fite leading the way. Coming off arguably the most complete showing of her career earlier in the month when she tied for seventh at the Minnesota Invitational, the junior is tied for 24th at 3-over par.
Sophomore Ryan Bender had a solid day with a 76 and is tied for 33rd. Freshman Kelsey Wylie had a decent round going but three bogeys on the last four holes resulted in a 77 to put her in a logjam in 42nd. Senior Josephine Chang carded a 79 and is tied for 56th.
The only player missing in action this weekend is freshman Janika Rüttimann, whose collegiate debut has been delayed by an injury.
The Bettie Lou Evans Invitational is in its 30th year – after periodic breaks – and named after longtime UK head coach (1979 to 2001) and former director of operations (2002 to 2018) Bettie Lou Evans.
UK has won the tournament 12 times after a thrilling and record-setting win in 2018, its first at the Bettie Lou since 2011 and its first tournament championship of any kind since 2013. After watching a 16-shot lead all but evaporate in the final round of last year’s tournament thanks to an 18-hole tournament record 278 by Penn State, the Wildcats held off the Nittany Lions by two strokes to claim the hardware.
Kentucky is seeking its second straight championship after winning the Minnesota Invitational earlier this month to begin the season.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
