BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. – Less than a week removed from its last competition, the Kentucky women’s golf team is in South Carolina this week for the Gamecock Intercollegiate, the third tournament of the spring for the Wildcats.
UK will continue its difficult schedule in one of the most talented fields ever assembled in a regular-season tournament. Five of the top seven teams in the Golfstat rankings will play in this week’s tournament, including No. 1 Baylor.
The 18-team tournament at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, South Carolina, begins Monday at 9 a.m. with the first of three 18-hole rounds. Live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com.
“I think it’s good that we had a quick turnaround and that we’re getting back out on the course this coming week in South Carolina,” UK head coach Golda Borst said. “We got a lot out of our trip to Gainesville, and although we didn’t play how we wanted to in the tournament, we got valuable feedback about where each individual player is with their game that will only make us better. Now it’s time to refocus and get after it over the coming days.”
Kentucky finished in 10th place last week at the Florida Gators Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. The Wildcats got off to a difficult start but showed significant improvement and resiliency in rounds two and three. After recording a 23-over-par score in the first round, UK was a combined 19-over par over the final two days. Freshman Laney Frye led the way with her second career top-20 showing, tying for 15th place at 7-over par.
With a quick turnaround, UK remained in Gainesville last week to practice and qualify. Fifth-year senior Sarah Shipley and junior Casey Ott did not play in the Gators Invitational but came along for the trip to provide depth for the Wildcats since they were not returning home in between the two tournaments.
Shipley earned the final spot in the lineup with sophomore Jensen Castle, senior Rikke Svejgård Nielsen, Frye and sophomore María Villanueva Aperribay. It will mark Shipley’s 2020-21 debut after returning for her NCAA-granted extra year of eligibility following the COVID-19 pandemic last season.
The Wildcats hope Shipley can provide the type of consistency UK has been yearning for this season. With 37 collegiate events and 99 total rounds under her belt, Shipley is far and away the most experienced Wildcat on the roster. She has four career top-10 finishes and seven top-20 showings. She appeared in all six events last season and carded a career-best 73.9 stroke average, including a fifth-place finish at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational.
In the No. 1 slot again for the Kentucky is Castle. She tied for 23rd overall at the Gators Invitational with a score of 9-over par. She was 3-over par over the last two rounds
Svejgård Nielsen is hoping to put last week behind her after placing 73rd in Florida. Although 2020-21 has not gone as she had hoped, she is tied with Shipley for the team lead with seven career top-20 showings.
Frye has been Kentucky’s best player through five events. She leads the Wildcats in stroke average (73.7), top-20 finishes (two) and par-or-better rounds (five). Frye recorded rounds of 72-70-75 for a 7-over total last week.
Villanueva Aperribay tied for 35th at the Gators Invitational at 11-over par. This will mark her third straight appearance for Kentucky after transferring from Augusta.
Columbia Country Club will play at 6,297 yards this week, a par 72 track. It was named the South Carolina Golf Association Club of the Year in 2020.
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.