UK Women’s Golf Returns to Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Following one of the best scoring performances in program history at last month’s Mason Rudolph Championship, the Kentucky women’s golf team returns to action this weekend in the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational at the UNC Finley Golf Course.
The Wildcats will try to build on last month’s momentum in one of the fall’s deepest and most competitive tournaments. The 54-hole tournament will begin Friday at 8:30 a.m. with three rounds – one per day – slated through Sunday, and a practice round on Thursday.
Live scoring will be available throughout the weekend at Golfstat.com.
“It feels great to head back to Chapel Hill this week,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “Kentucky has a long history of playing in this tournament and our team loved their experience here a couple of years ago. They are all excited about being back here. We’ve had a bit of a break in tournaments, so the team is motivated and ready to compete again.”
Last time out, Kentucky was led by another sensational performance from junior Jensen Castle, who carded the best 18- and 54-hole totals of her college career. With Castle leading the way, the Wildcats finished fourth in the 15-team field in Franklin, Tennessee, shooting a 3-under-par 861, good for the third-best total ever by a UK team and the lowest in opposing territory.
Castle’s first-round total of 66 was the best showing from a member of the women’s golf team since senior Casey Ott shot the same in the second round of the Tar Heel Invitational in October 2019. Her 8-under-par 208 tied the second-best 54-hole round in school history, behind only Leonie Bettel’s 205 at the 2018 Bettie Lou Evans Invitational.
Castle, who played in last week’s LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup after earning a special exemption because of her U.S. Women’s Amateur championship, will lead the Wildcats again this weekend. But this will be a first-time lineup for Borst’s squad with freshman Marta López Echevarría making her collegiate debut. Sophomore Laney Frye and juniors María Villanueva Aperribay and Marissa Wenzler round out the lineup competing in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Tar Heel Invitational is historically a competitive tournament, and this year is no exception. The field includes five teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest Women’s Golf Coaches Association ranking, as well as a ranked Division-II school. The 19-team field is comprised of No. 14 Alabama, Clemson, No. 2 Duke, Furman, UK, No. 18 Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, North Carolina (A and B teams), North Carolina State, UNC-Wilmington, Ohio State, No. 19 Division II Rollins College, SMU, Vanderbilt, No. 25 Virginia Tech and No. 4 Wake Forest.
UNC Finley Golf Course was a mainstay on the schedule for the Wildcats in the past, with Kentucky having won twice in 1983 and 1989. However, UK has only participated twice in the last five tournaments, in 2015 and 2019.
In the Wildcats’ most recent appearance at the Tar Heel Invitational, both Castle and Wenzler played and helped the Wildcats to an eighth-place finish in an 18-team field with a score of 2-under par. Castle shot a 2-under-par 214 – which, prior to last tournament, was her 54-hole collegiate low – and Wenzler posted a total of 224, 8-over par.
López Echevarría’s inclusion in the lineup marks her first for Kentucky. Prior to signing with the Wildcats, she was a member of Spain’s girls’ national team and was ranked No. 114 ranking in the European Golf Rankings. This past summer, the freshman played in the European Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Royal Park I Roveri in Turin, Italy, and shot 8-over par over four rounds.
Frye’s play at the Vanderbilt Legends Club last month was a big reason Kentucky was able to compete for the top spot in the Mason Rudolph Championship. She shot 72, 69 and 71 for a 54-hole total of 212 (4-under par), which marked the best of her Wildcat career. Her second-round score of 69 was also her new 18-hole collegiate low.
A regular in the lineup, Villanueva Aperribay has been one of the most consistent players in her time at Kentucky. She held the second-best scoring average on the team last season and has contributed all six of her rounds this season towards the team total. The junior posted the best score for the Wildcats at the season-opening Wolverine Invitational at 218, 5-over par.
Wenzler made her 2021-22 Kentucky debut at the Mason Rudolph Championship and posted a 74 in the second round. The junior played an integral role on last year’s NCAA Championship Finals team, contributing 24 of 30 rounds to the team total.
The Tar Heel Invitational will be held at the UNC Finley Golf Course. The course was designed by Tom Fazio and was his 11th done in North Carolina. Rated 4.5 stars by Golf Digest, the track will be played as a par 72 at 6,393 yards.
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.
