Anastasia Hekkonen Leads UK Women’s Golf for Second Straight Spring Tournament
FORT WORTH, Texas – The Wildcats’ women’s golf team concluded their time at the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club (par 70, 6,092 yards) in Fort Worth, Texas, on Tuesday, with freshman Anastasia Hekkonen pacing the lineup for the second straight spring tournament.
In a field that featured 11 of the 15 teams ranked in the nation’s top 25, including half of the nation’s top 10 teams, UK’s young lineup turned in a 296 (+16) in the final round Tuesday. Through 54 holes, they pieced together an 877 (+37) for a share of 13th place.
Anastasia Hekkonen, a freshman from Helsinki, Finland, paced the team at the conclusion of the event once again. The rookie was the lone player to turn in a round in the 60s this week, kickstarting the Charles Schwab on a career-best 68 (-2) in the first round Monday. Altogether, she strung together rounds of 68, 75 and 74 to tie her career-best tournament total 217 (+4) for a share of 28th place. It marked her second-best tournament finish through six events this season.
The Wildcat led the lineup wire-to-wire this week.
Marta López Echevarría finished just a couple of shots behind her, putting together a 219 (+9) to tie for 37th place in the spring finale. In the final round, which also was the senior’s birthday, she recorded a 74 (+4), which featured five bogeys and also a birdie on her second nine holes on the par-4 No. 2.
Four shots behind her was another freshman, Karlie Campbell, who rallied a 223 (+13) for a share of 56th place in Fort Worth. She produced an active first nine holes, clocking five bogeys and four pars there, before evening out in her second nine holes on a bogey and a birdie on her final hole of the tournament, the par-4 No. 9, a hole she hadn’t birdied all week.
Cathryn Brown had the best day for the Wildcats, turning in a 73 (+3). Her scorecard included just two bogeys and a birdie in her first nine holes and just two bogeys in her second nine holes. Altogether, the sophomore from Eddyville, Kentucky, recorded a 225 (+15) to tie for 60th place at the event.
C.A. Carter, a freshman also from Lexington, Kentucky, who is playing in her first tournament this spring, handed over a 78 (+8) in the final round after an impressive 73 (+3) in the second round. She came in at 18-over for the event for a share of 69th place.
In a field that featured 11 of the 15 teams ranked in the nation’s top 25, it was the No. 1 team in the country that came out on top. No. 1 Stanford went even par throughout the 54 holes settling in at first place, while No. 3 Oregon came in second place (+2) and No. 9 Wake Forest and No. 19 Auburn shared third place (+6).
The Wildcats, who concluded their regular season at the Charles Schwab this week, will turn their focus to the Southeastern Conference Championship, which will once again be hosted at the Pelican Golf Club in Tampa, Florida, beginning on April 14.
Scorecard
T28 Anastasia Hekkonen 68, 75, 74 … 217 (+7)
T37 Marta López Echevarría 74, 71, 74 … 219 (+9)
T56 Karlie Campbell 72, 76, 75 … 223 (+13)
T60 Cathryn Brown 72, 80, 73 … 225 (+15)
T69 C.A. Carter 77, 73, 78 … 228 (+18)
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