Laney Frye Paces ‘Cats Through Two Rounds at NCAA Pullman Regional

PULLMAN, Wash. – The University of Kentucky women’s golf team went 2-over in the second round of the NCAA Pullman Regional on Tuesday. The Wildcats are in 10th place on a 1-over-par 577.

“There is no doubt that we wanted to be in a better position after two rounds,” said head coach Golda Borst. “There’s no denying that. We didn’t get many putts to fall and it hurt any sort of momentum that we created right out of the gate this morning. We need to execute better on our shorter approaches and convert when we get good opportunities. We have 18 holes to go and we will battle all the way to the finish line.”

Laney Frye took over pacing the team at the NCAA Pullman Regional on Tuesday, recording her second straight round of par-or-better to find a tie for 24th place on a tournament-total, 1-under-par 143.

The All-Southeastern Conference Second Team choice began the second round with a birdie on the par-5 No. 10, which was a nice shift from the bogey she recorded there Monday. In fact, the 10th hole ended up being UK’s most lucrative hole of the second round, collecting three birdies and an eagle there in attempt to make an early charge on moving day.

Frye then logged back-to-back bogeys on the par-4 No. 12 and the par-3 No. 13, before escaping her first nine with a birdie on the par-5 No. 17 to get to even on the round. She used her final 10 holes of the round to remain even, recording a blemish free second nine.

Fellow All-SEC Second Teamer Jensen Castle remained steady on the tournament, combining her first-round 72 with a second-round 72. The senior from West Columbia, South Carolina, came in clutch down the stretch Tuesday, firing back-to-back birdies on hole Nos. 8 and 9 to get back to even par on the round just in the nick of time. The Wildcat is in a tie for 34th place at the NCAA Pullman Regional with her even-par 144.

Firing off her second eagle of the tournament, María Villanueva Aperribay began the second round 2-under thanks to an eagle on the par-5 No. 10. Later on in her first nine, she recorded a pair of bogeys to get back to even par on the round before making the turn. The senior from San Sebastián, Spain, then had a bogey-birdie-birdie stretch on hole Nos. 6-8, ultimately capping the second round 1-under.

It marked her first round of par-or-better since the spring opener, as she sits in a tie for 38th place on a tournament-total, 1-over-par 145.

Despite a pair of birdies during her first nine this morning, Ivy Shepherd, a graduate from Peachtree City, Georgia, shot a 4-over Tuesday. The Wildcat is in a tie for 45th place on a tournament-total, 2-over-par 146.

Marissa Wenzler, a senior from Dayton, Ohio, was even par on the round through the first eight holes. Three bogeys and seven pars the rest of the round gave her a 3-over Tuesday, as she sits in a share for 53rd place on a 5-over-par 149 at the NCAA Pullman Regional.

The tournament is led by Stanford (-35), while the four other schools currently inside the projected cutline are Texas Tech (-17), Clemson (-15), Southern California (-13) and Baylor (-12).

The Wildcats will tee off in the final round on Wednesday beginning at 12:06 p.m. ET, paired with Green Bay and North Carolina.

Scorecard
T24 Laney Frye 71, 72 … (-1)
T34 Jensen Castle 72, 72 … (E)
T38 María Villanueva Aperribay 74, 71 … (+1)
T45 Ivy Shepherd 70, 76 … (+2)
T53 Marissa Wenzler 74, 75 … (+5)

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.