Wildcats Off to Fast Start at Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A step up in competition didn’t mean a step back in results for the Kentucky women’s golf team in the first round of the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational.
Proving they’re ready to compete with the best teams in the country, the two-time 2019 fall champions find themselves near the top of the leaderboard at one of the top tournaments in the nation.
After a first-round score of 283, UK is in a tie for second place and trails Golfweek’s second-ranked team in the country, Wake Forest, by just one shot. With two players, Jensen Castle and Rikke Svejgård Nielsen, in the top 10 and a host of other Wildcats not far behind, UK fired its best 18-hole round since last year’s first round of the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational – a tournament the Wildcats would win – and tied the fourth-best round in school history (with records dating back to 1987).
More importantly, with 36 holes to go, Kentucky is exactly where it wants to be in its stiffest test to date.
“We had a solid first round and I am very proud of how our team handled themselves throughout the day,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “They stayed calm, committed to their decisions and finished the round really well. We created a lot of opportunities and stayed tough when we got out of position. Once we got to the last few holes, it felt like our momentum shifted and we were able to take advantage of some of the shorter holes down the stretch.
“Even though we shot 5-undear par today, we left a lot of shots out there and we are looking forward to getting back out on the course tomorrow.”
Action resumes Saturday at the UNC Finley Golf Course (par 72, 6,379 yards) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at 8:51 a.m. The Wildcats’ will begin teeing off No. 1 at 10:39 a.m.
Live scoring will continue to be available at GolfStat.com.
UK is seeking history this weekend. Winners of their first two tournaments of the season – an impressive championship at the Minnesota Invitational and a dominating victory at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, Kentucky’s home tournament – the Wildcats are attempting to become the first team in program history to reel off three straight team victories in a season.
The competition standing in the way this weekend is fierce. Annually packed with some of the nation’s best teams, this year’s field features seven (out of 18) teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest Golfweek rankings with several more just outside. No. 16 Alabama, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 17 Charlotte, Clemson, No. 12 Duke, Furman, UK, Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State, North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State, Rollins, No. 8 South Carolina, Tulane, UNC Wilmington, Virginia and No. 2 Wake Forest make up the full field.
Seven teams are at even par or better.
UK took the challenge head on Friday with a sensational effort from top to bottom of the lineup. The two standouts were Svejgård Nielsen, a junior, and Castle, a freshman sensation. Both carded 2-under-par 70s and are tied for sixth place, four shots behind Ohio State’s Aneka Seumanutafa.
Svejgård Nielsen rolled in a team-high five birdies in the first round with a birdie blitz late in the round. After starting the day on No. 10, Svejgård Nielsen walked on to No. 5 at 1-over par with five holes left to play. She promptly followed with three birdies and two pars to vault up the leaderboard.
With six top-20 finishes in her first 12 collegiate starts, history would indicate Svejgård Nielsen will be in the mix the rest of the weekend.
Although Castle’s college résumé is significantly lighter, she’s quickly showing she can produce similarly consistent results with the same type of success she saw at the high school level. The highest-rated signee in school history is off to another great start and didn’t card a single bogey Friday.
With two birdies and 16 pars, she recorded her fourth under-par round in just her sixth opportunity.
Castle is far from the only talented freshman on this season’s team. Marissa Wenzler, the 2018 Ohio High School Athletic Association state champion, continued the strong start to her career with a 1-under-par 71 in the first round.
None of Wenzler’s six college rounds have been worse than a 74 and her 71 Friday was her best so far. She’s tied for 15th.
Sophomore Casey Ott was the fourth Wildcat to shoot even par or better. With two birdies to cancel out two bogeys in the first round, she’s tied for 24th with a 72. She’s finished in the top 10 in her last seven college tournaments.
The Wildcats didn’t use Sarah Shipley’s 1-over-par 73 on Friday, a sign that things could get even better this weekend given the senior’s experience and sustained success. She played well Friday with four birdies but also had five bogeys. She’s tied for 35th.
A win this weekend would mark the third of the season. Only two other teams in school history have won two or more tournaments. The 1990-91 team claimed four and the 1987-88 group won three.
The Tar Heel Invitational was a traditional stop of the Wildcats until recently with the most recent appearance taking place in the fall of 2015. Kentucky has won the tournament twice, in 1983 and 1989.
The lineup this weekend is the same group that defended the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational championship two weeks ago. Four of the five were in Woodbury, Minnesota, the for the Minnesota Invitational.
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.
