Wildcats Struggle to Find Rhythm on Day One
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kentucky Women’s Golf teed off at the Greystone Golf and Country Club this morning to begin the first round of the SEC Championships.
Playing on the Legacy Course (par 72, 6,331 yards), the Wildcats finished the day in 10th shooting 12 over-par.
“The golf course showed some teeth today on the back nine,” said Head Coach Golda Borst. “We struggled to finish strong.”
Seeing nine birdies throughout the first half of the round, the Cats were encouraged by the pace of play. However, 10 bogeys, including three double bogeys, on the back nine emphasized the mental toughness that is required by the game of golf.
“We compounded some mistakes and had to count some bigger numbers, which is tough,” stated Borst.
On the individual front, senior Rikke Svejgård Nielsen shot 74 (+2) to find herself just short of the top 20 after round one. She was able to demonstrate consistency throughout the day as she shot even par for most of the round.
María Villanueva Aperribay and Marissa Wenzler currently both sit T33 (+3). Wenzler started the day of strong shooting one under at the conclusion of nine holes. However, the back nine fought against her as she tallied two bogeys and one double bogey.
To round out the lineup for Kentucky, Laney Frye currently holds a tie for 42nd after shooting +4 while Jensen Castle is +10 for 69th.
The Wildcats will be back on the course tomorrow morning with a tee time of 9:20 a.m. ET. UK will be paired with Alabama with Castle leading the way in the lineup.
“We’ve got a lot of golf left and we’re looking forward to getting back out on the course in the morning,” expressed Borst.
The SEC Championships will continue through Sunday with a cut taking place after the third round of stroke play on Friday. Following the cut, the remaining eight teams will battle through two rounds of match play to determine the 2022 conference champion.
Live stats of the tournament are available courtesy of GolfStat, which fans can access here. The final round on Sunday will be broadcasted on SEC Network at 9:30 a.m. ET.
This year’s tournament marks the ninth consecutive year for the SEC Championship to be contested in at the Greystone Golf and Country Club. The SEC has conducted its annual championship at Greystone since 2013 (Founder’s Course 2013-14, 2015-21).
BIRDIES FOR TORNADO RELIEF FUNDRAISER
Collectively, UK Women’s Golf has tallied 195 birdies since announcing the start of a new fundraiser to aid fellow Kentuckians in the Western region of the state who were devastated by an EF4 tornado in early December of last year. This tally includes the birdies shot throughout the SEC Championships.
In partnership with the Kentucky Red Cross, the program is asking for monetary donations or pledges. For each birdie made, beginning with the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and throughout the rest of the 2022 spring season, money will be given to those impacted by the catastrophic disaster.
Those wishing to donate can do so by clicking here.
For the latest on Kentucky Women’s Golf, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
