UK Advances to Match Play at SEC Championship, Laney Frye Claims Third Place in 70-Person Field

BELLEAIR, Fla. – The University of Kentucky women’s golf team advanced to the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championship match-play quarterfinals after a turning in the lowest round of any team on the golf course all week, a 5-under-par 275 in the final round Sunday. The Wildcats jumped three spots on the team leaderboard to land in fifth place on a 13-over-par 853 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.

UK improved to the match-play quarterfinals for the first time since the inception of the NCAA Championship format six seasons ago. Likewise, UK posted its best finish at the SEC Championship since tying for fifth place in 2012-13 and finishing in solo fifth place in 1992-93.

No. 5 Kentucky will face No. 4 Mississippi State in the match-play quarterfinals on Monday, with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. ET off No. 10.

The pairing are as follows:

8 a.m. ET – Marissa Wenzler (UK) vs. Avery Weed (MSU)
8:10 a.m. ET – Laney Frye (UK) vs. Julia Lopez Ramirez (MSU)
8:20 a.m. ET – Cathryn Brown (UK) vs. Izzy Pellot (MSU)
8:30 a.m. ET – Marta López Echevarría (UK) vs. Chiara Horder (MSU)
8:40 a.m. ET – Jensen Castle (UK) vs. Surapa Janthamunee (MSU)

While Marta López Echevarría paced the team in the final round, Laney Frye led the team all weekend. The Nicholasville, Kentucky, native finished in third place in the 70-person field on a 6-under-par 204.

If Laney’s round was boring, we like boring.@laneyfrye 🥱 pic.twitter.com/PoQOHoikuD

— Kentucky Women’s Golf (@KentuckyWGolf) April 14, 2024

The senior had a perfect scorecard in the final round Sunday, rolling in 15 pars and three birdies to turn in a 3-under-par 67. While she has gone under par in all three rounds this weekend, her final round marked her best score of the SEC Championship. Thanks to her 68, 69 and 67 throughout the weekend, she improved to 15 rounds under par and 16 rounds of par-or-better this season.

She previously set the record for most par-or-better rounds in a season (20) in 2022-23.

Frye, an All-American and All-SEC selection, led the field with 13 birdies during stroke-play action, with nine of those coming on par-4s.

As if 15 pars and three birdies isn’t good enough, López Echevarría, a junior playing in her first conference championship, turned heads in the final round.

Hey, I’m Marta and I posted a 65. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/PAu2F5SvZJ

— Kentucky Women’s Golf (@KentuckyWGolf) April 14, 2024

The Wildcat rolled in 13 pars and five birdies, turning in a 5-under-par 65 on Sunday. Her scorecard not only marked her career best, but it tied the lowest round of any player on the golf course all weekend. Only two players in the field recorded a 5-under, the individual champion, the runner-up and López Echevarría.

She jumped more than 20 spots on individual leaderboard with her performance Sunday, finishing tied for 20th place on a 4-over-par 214. It marked the second-best tournament total in her college career.

From one first-time conference championship goer to the next, freshman Cathryn Brown came in tied for 25th place on a 6-over-par 216. She hovered par all weekend, putting together rounds of 71, 73 and a 72 on Sunday. In the final round, the Eddyville, Kentucky, native recorded four birdies and five bogeys to lock in her third finish inside the top 25 in her young college career.

Playing in their final SEC Championship, graduate students Jensen Castle and Marissa Wenzler finished neck-and-neck on the individual leaderboard.

Castle went 5-over in the final for to combine for a 13-over on the tournament and finish in a share of 52nd place. Wenzler had a strong showing in the final round, her best of the event, recording a 1-over Sunday. She rallied for a 14-over at the conference championship, finishing tied for 57th place.

Big Blue Nation can keep up with the match-play quarterfinals on Golfstat.com on Monday.

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.

Scorecard
3 Laney Frye 68, 69, 67 … 204 (-6)
T20 Marta López Echevarría 72, 77, 65 … 214 (+4)
T25 Cathryn Brown 71, 73, 72 … 216 (+6)
T52 Jensen Castle 75, 73, 75 … 223 (+13)
T57 Marissa Wenzler 76, 77, 71 … 224 (+14)