Wildcats Play Host to the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational at Champion Trace, Fans Welcome
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – Returning for the first time since 2019, the University of Kentucky women’s golf program tees off its season by playing host to the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational from Sept. 8-10 at Champion Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club. The Wildcats will go off the first tee Sunday, beginning at 8:40 a.m. ET, paired with Indiana and TCU.
Big Blue Nation is welcome to attend the tournament at no cost. Fans can find the most up-to-date information about the progress of the tournament, including tee times, pairings, scores and weather delays, on X and at UKathletics.com.
With a remodeled roster and the start of the season comes a new lineup, and it is one of head coach Golda Borst’s youngest yet.
Just three months ago, All-Americans Jensen Castle and Laney Frye, María Villanueva Aperribay and Marissa Wenzler graduated and turned professional, a group that set more than a dozen school records during their time in Lexington.
However, Borst signed five freshmen to go along with three returners as her rebuild began to take shape. Golfweek took notice when it listed Kentucky 26th on in its preseason rankings this week.
Prior to the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, three of those five freshmen qualified for a spot in this week’s lineup, an opportunity to compete for the team title in their college debuts.
Freshmen C.A. Carter, a Lexington native, Elin Pudas Remler and Raleygh Simpson will represent UK. Marta López Echevarría and Cathryn Brown, who are returning for their fourth and second season, respectively, round out the first lineup of 2024-25.
Freshmen Karlie Campbell and Anastasia Hekkonen and sophomore Brooke Oberparleiter will still have an opportunity to compete for a title, playing as individuals this week.
For the first time in its existence, the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational will be hosted at Champion Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club, home of the ISCO Championship on the PGA Tour. The course will play as a par 72 and up to 6,394 yards this week.
Eleven teams will be competing for the team championship, including Kentucky, Akron, Eastern Kentucky, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Missouri, TCU and Washington State. The field will play 54 holes of stroke play over the three days, with tee times on Sunday and Monday and a shotgun start on Tuesday.
The field brings two friends of the program, including current Akron head coach and former UK assistant coach and alumna Jenny King and current Indiana head coach and former UK assistant coach Brian May.
The Wildcats have won three of the last four iterations of the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational (2011, 2018, 2019) – including the last two straight – and 13 total since it began in 1979. In 2018, the Cats set the tournament record with an 858 (-6), while alumna Leonie Bettel set the individual record with a 205 (-11). With the change in host course this season, new records will be set in 2024.
This season, the program’s alumni and friends weekend coincides with the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational, giving alumni and friends the opportunity to experience the tournament and honor her legacy since the passing of Hall of Famer Bettie Lou Evans. Evans, the Wildcats’ women’s golf coach from 1979 to 2001 and Director of Golf Operations for the men’s and women’s programs for the next 17 years, died Sept. 26, 2023.
The field and fans can expect cool mornings and temperatures peaking in the mid-to-high 70s all week, with no rain forecasted for the area.
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.
