UK Women’s Golf Takes Lead Heading into Cardinal Cup Final Round
SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. – The Kentucky women’s golf team has once again put itself in position to win another tournament.
UK will head into the final round of the Cardinal Cup with another lead after shooting the low round of the day Saturday, an even-par 288, to move into first place through 36 holes of the Cardinal Cup.
It’s familiar territory for the 20th-ranked Wildcats, who have now taken a lead into the final round of a tournament in all four events this season. The transition from the hunters to the hunted is a role they’ve handled well to this point, closing the deal twice with championships at the Minnesota Invitational and the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational.
At 8-over par for the tournament, Kentucky is four shots clear of first-round leader Campbell and tournament host Louisville.
“We played some consistent, solid golf today and showed a lot of maturity on the course,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “They have put themselves in a good position for tomorrow’s round and the focus will continue to be on staying patient, being intentional and aggressive out there.”
On Sunday, the Wildcats will try to go 3-for-4 with final-day leads to tie the second-most victories in single-season school history. The hard-earned opportunity will begin at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start at the University of Louisville Golf Club (par 72, 6,261 yards) in Simpsonville, Kentucky.
Not only do the Wildcats have their eyes set on the team prize, three players are within six shots of the co-leaders, Sera Tadokoro of Kansas and Hana Ryskova from host Louisville. Freshman Jensen Castle is tied for third and just a shot back at 3-under par, and freshman Marissa Wenzler and junior Sarah Fite – who is playing as an individual – are both tied for 11th at 2-over par.
Live scoring will continue to be available at GolfStat.com and fans in the area are encouraged to attend. Weather conditions are expected to remain near perfect with mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 70s.
“This is a young, hungry and competitive team and I’m excited for us to get back out on the course tomorrow,” Borst said.
The Wildcats continued the momentum they generated on the second nine of their first round Friday and seized the lead pretty early in the day. Castle and Wenzler fueled the charge with three birdies apiece on the front nine.
The difference Saturday was the back nine, where UK began its round Friday. After considerable difficulties on the first day, the Wildcats navigated the much tougher backside in better fashion.
Castle matched her three birdies on the front nine with three more on the back. At 10 total through 36 holes, she’s tied for the tournament lead in birdies.
More importantly, Castle is just a stroke back after firing her eighth round of par or better in her first 10 college starts. The highest-rated signee in Kentucky women’s golf history has finished in the top 20 in all three tournament appearances thus far but will try to take home medalist honors Sunday for the first time in her collegiate career.
Lurking not far behind is Wenzler, who is tied for 11th place. The 2018 Ohio High School Athletic Association state champion has quietly moved her way near the top of the leaderboard with a 74 in the first round and an even-par 72 Saturday. She’s at 2-over par overall and in search of a career-best finish.
Senior Sarah Shipley dropped back Saturday after a second-round 78 but remains in the top 20 (tied for 18th) at 5-over par. A top-20 showing in the finale would be the eighth of her career.
After an uncharacteristically off day in the tournament opener, sophomore Casey Ott bounced back with a 1-over-par 73 on Saturday. In a tie for 38th, she will need a low number over the final 18 holes to extend her streak of top-10 showings to four, but Ott has the ability with a 72.9 stroke average this season, including a team-best and career-low 66 at last week’s Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational.
Junior Rikke Svejgård Nielsen bounced back in similar fashion with a 74 in the second round. With a 72.1 stroke average this season, the odds indicate she’s got a Sunday charge in store.
Fite continued her breakout junior season with a career day in the second round. The Maysville, Kentucky, native was among by the biggest climbers on moving day with a career-low 69. After a four-birdie day, including an impressive 34 on the difficult back nine, Fite finds herself in a tie for 11th and in search of a 54-hole career score.
If the Wildcats can hold off the rest of the 17-team field, it would pull them within one win of the single-season school record of four championships, which was set by the 1990-91 team.
Kentucky has appeared in the Cardinal Cup in five of the previous 15 years, including recent trips in 2016 and 2017, but has never won Louisville’s home tournament.
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.
