UK Remains in First Place, All Six Wildcats in the Top 20 at NEXUS Collegiate
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The University of Kentucky women’s golf team remains at the top of the team leaderboard through 36 holes at the NEXUS Collegiate at Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas, while all six players are in the top 20 on the 66-person individual leaderboard.
Kentucky went 6-over as a team Tuesday, assembling a 3-over tournament total to remain the solo leader ahead of the final round. UK is three shots ahead of Iowa State (+6) in second place and seven shots in front of North Texas (+10) in third place.
The Wildcats will look to claim their first tournament title this season, and their third in two seasons, when they tee off in the final round in a shotgun format Wednesday at 8 a.m. ET.
Jensen Castle turned in the lowest scorecard on anyone on the team Tuesday, matching her first round with another even-par 72. The graduate student and All-America was 1-under on the front nine and 1-over on the back nine, recording a trio birdies and a trio of bogeys throughout the day.
The Wildcat’s even-par 144 tournament total helped her jump five spots on the individual leaderboard to find T5, joining her teammate, Laney Frye, in the top five ahead of the final round.
Frye, who had a one-stroke lead over the 66-person field to begin the day, was even par through her first nine holes. She then experienced three bogeys and one birdie after the turn, finishing with a 2-over-par 74.
The senior and All-America is one of just four players to possess a tournament total under par through 36 holes (-2). She still remains in contention for the first individual title of her college career, three shots behind lone leader Isabel Sy of Illinois (-5).
Marissa Wenzler isn’t too far back of Frye and Castle.
She reported a 3-over-par 75 in the second round, to go along with her 1-under-par 71 in the first round. The graduate student is 2-over through 36 holes at the NEXUS Collegiate, sitting in a tie for 10th place.
Marta López Echevarría improved her score from Monday to Tuesday, putting together a 1-over-par 73 in a colorful second round. The junior, who is competing in just her third tournament of the season, clocked seven bogeys and six birdies through 18 holes, including five bogeys and four birdies in her final nine holes.
The Wildcat’s 5-over tournament total helped her improve 11 spots on the individual leaderboard to land in a tie for 20th place ahead of the final round.
In fact, both María Villanueva Aperribay and Cathryn Brown also have 5-over tournament totals to share T20.
Villanueva Aperribay, a graduate student, had a rather calm round, knocking in 14 pars, while also recording a double and a birdie on the front nine and two bogeys on the back nine for a 3-over-par 75. Brown, a freshman competing as an individual, recorded a 6-over-par 78 on Tuesday.
The Wildcats’ 3-under-par 285 recorded in the first round Monday remains the lowest and the only under-par round reported by a team so far at the tournament.
Scorecard
2 Laney Frye 68, 74 … 142 (-2)
T5 Jensen Castle 72, 72 … 144 (E)
T10 Marissa Wenzler 71, 75 … 146 (+2)
T20 Marta López Echevarría 76, 73 … 149 (+5)
T20 María Villanueva Aperribay 74, 75 … 149 (+5)
IND: T20 Cathryn Brown 71, 78 … 149 (+5)
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