Wildcats in Middle of the Pack After NCAA Championship Day One
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Competing against the best NCAA Division I women’s golf has to offer, the Kentucky women’s golf team held its own on day one of the NCAA Championship finals.
The Wildcats are in 12th place after the first 18 holes of stroke play as the chase for a national title at the Grayhawk Golf Club’s Raptor Course (par 72, 6,384 yards) in Scottsdale, Arizona, has just begun.
Led by freshman Laney Frye’s even-par 72 on Friday, UK posted an 11-over-par 299 to remain in contention in the first stage of the national finals. The Wildcats will tee off in the second wave of schools on Saturday hoping to stay in the mix before the 24-team field is trimmed to 15 at the conclusion of Sunday’s third round.
“I think they handled it pretty good today,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “I knew we had some nerves coming in. I think some of that carried into the round. We got frustrated early – several of the girls did – but then they got into their rhythm. I think they handled the back nine well knowing how tough it was. We let a few shots go, but overall, for the first round in our first national championship in 29 years, I’ll take 11-over (par).”
UK overcame some early nerves to finish Friday in the middle of a 24-team field that features 21 of nation’s top 25 teams (according to Golfstat.com). The Wildcats started the day 10-over par through their first five holes but settled in over the last four of the front nine.
Each Wildcat birdied one of the four final holes heading into the turn – including two by sophomore Marissa Wenzler – to steady the ship.
The wind kicked up on the much tougher back nine, but UK held its ground with Frye – who is currently tied for fifth place – posting an even-par 72 and sophomores María Villanueva Aperribay and Wenzler pitching in with 2-over-par 74s.
When all things were complete Friday, UK found itself only 10 shots back of Texas, the first-round leader, three strokes behind eighth place, and three shots clear of the 15th position.
The eight- and 15th-place spots are what the Wildcats and everyone else will have an eye on this weekend. Following Sunday’s third round, the field will be trimmed to the top 15 teams and top nine individuals not on an advancing team for the final round of stroke play on Monday.
From the fourth round, the top eight teams from the 72-hole total scores will move on to the match-play bracket, which will be seeded in order of finish in stroke play. An individual champion will also be crowned after stroke play. A knockout match-play competition will then take place to determine the team national champion.
The second round begins Saturday at 6:30 a.m. MT (9:30 a.m. ET) but Kentucky will be in the second wave of teams and tee off at 12:36 p.m. MT (3:36 p.m. ET). The Wildcats will be paired again with Michigan State and Alabama.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign is Kentucky has been a strong comeback team this spring. UK’s first-round average is it highest of the three rounds, not to mention the Wildcats have come from as far back as 15th place after day one to finish in third place at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic and fourth at last week’s NCAA Columbus Regional after starting in 11th.
“We’re in our wheelhouse,” Borst said. “We’re OK. We know what we need to do. There’s a ton of golf left to be played in the second wave, but we need to do better with our performance goals.”
Fans can continue to follow along with live scoring at Golfstat.com and updates on the official Kentucky women’s golf social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram), @KentuckyWGolf. Post-round coverage will be available at UKathletics.com. For spectators in the area, admission is free and no ticket is required.
Individually, Frye was Kentucky’s best performer in the opening round. After a bogey on No. 2, she played the next 10 holes in 1-under par. Her only other hiccup was a bogey on the difficult par-3 13th, but Frye got the shot back with a birdie on the picturesque par-5 18th.
For Frye, UK’s leader in stroke average this season, it was her team-leading 12th round of par or better this season. That is the third-best mark in school history. Borst said she was not surprised by her freshman performing at that level on the national stage.
“She’s a heck of a player, and for her to handle the moment, it just shows how great of a player she is,” Borst said. “She has a really high ceiling. Every round she gets under her belt, she’s just getting a little bit better this level.”
Villanueva Aperribay bogeyed three of her first four holes. For a player who tied for fifth last week at the NCAA Columbus Regional and had posted four rounds of par or better over her last six opportunities, it was a significant early test for the sophomore.
The Spaniard answered the call admirably by going 1-under par the rest of the day. Villanueva Aperribay sunk a 40-foot putt for birdie on No. 9 and nearly eagled from a similar distance off the fringe on No. 18 to tap in for birdie.
Tied for 38th with Villanueva Aperribay is Wenzler, who turned in one of her best rounds of the spring. She led the Wildcats Friday with three birdies, all coming come on a six-hole stretch midway through the round. She overcame a double bogey on No. 11 and a bogey on No. 13 and finished the final five holes with five pars.
The Wildcats have some additional reason for optimism with two of their most talented players, senior captain Rikke Svejgård Nielsen and sophomore Jensen Castle, likely to bounce back after difficult opening rounds.
Svejgård Nielsen posted her first round over 75 since early April with a 79 on Friday. Since that opening round at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic, the 2021 Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year had posted eight straight rounds of 75 or less with four rounds of par or better. She entered this week with three top-20 finishes in her last four rounds and season-best 54-hole scores in each of the last four events.
With an 82 on Friday, Castle carded only the third round of 80 or above in her Kentucky career and marked just the third time in 31 rounds this season her score did not go to the team total. Just two weeks ago she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open..
UK is making its first NCAA Championship finals appearance since 1992. The program’s best national finish was fifth place at its inaugural appearance in 1986. The Wildcats competed in the NCAA Championship finals five times in a seven-season span from 1986 to 1992 under longtime head coach Bettie Lou Evans but had not been back since.
The Raptor Course is a Tom Fazio design. With tight fairways, fast greens and desert lurking with any misfire, this week’s track serves as the consummate test to crown a national champion. For many of the Wildcats, it is the first time they have played a desert course.
“The ball is flying farther so some of the girls are really struggling with their yardages,” Borst said. “Today was better than yesterday, but we’re still learning a ton. The speed of the greens, I think we got a little overzealous early and hit some really far past and had some three-putts, which hurt us. But again, they bounced back and they’re learning. … I think another round today was good to get under our belt. We’ll just keep learning and stick with our process. We just have to find more greens (in regulation).”
