UK Athletics Photo
When I had a chance to volunteer at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational at Keene Trace Golf Club’s Champions, I jumped at the chance and I am sure glad I did.
I worked as a live scorekeeper for Monday’s second round and fairway spotter for Tuesday’s final round.
Evans was the UK women’s golf coach from 1979 to 2001 and then served as director of golf operations for the men’s and women’s programs for 17 years. She was also a premier amateur player who I got to watch play — and write about — several times during his distinguished playing career.
Evans certainly would have been proud of Kentucky for fighting back from a not so good first round to take second in the 11-team tournament. Kentucky was eighth after the first round but rallied to move into fourth after the second round before putting together its best 18-hole team round on Tuesday.
Texas Christian won the team title with a three-day score of 7-over par 871 while Kentucky was 19-over at 883. Houston took third at plus 24 followed by Louisville (+27) and Illinois (+29).
Kentucky had an impressive four-player total of 286, 2-under par on Tuesday in the near perfect conditions. That was a six-stroke improvement over Monday’s round.
Freshman Elin Pudas Remler and senior Marta Lopez both shot 2-under par rounds of 70 Tuesday. Remler, who shot 69 Monday after opening with a 77, was 4-under with two holes to play but finished bogey-bogey. She had four birdies in a seven-hole stretch on 5, 7, 9 and 11 and barely missed a 10-foot birdie putt on 12 after a terrific shot out of the rough.
“I wasn’t very satisfied with my first round. Felt like the world was against me, you know?” Pudas Remler, a 20-year-old from Sweden, said after Tuesday’s round. “I just kept on fighting. Shot 69 yesterday and felt like the world was fine, basically. I did a lot of good things today as well. Finished bogey, bogey, so that was a bit of a disappointment but overall very pleased for my first college tournament.”
Pudas Remler finished third overall in the tournament at even par 216 while Lopez ended up fifth with one shot Pudas Remler. Lopez had four birdies, including three on the back nine. Alice Johansson of Washington State finished 4-under par to take medalist honors with Kristin Angosta of TCU one shot behind. Sofia Barroso Sa of TCU tied Pudas Remler for third.
Sophomore Cathryn Brown had her best round of the tourney Tuesday with a 35-37-72. She had two birdies to offset two bogeys. She had 78 in each of the first two rounds but Monday’s score included three balls in the water — something she didn’t have Tuesday.
“I am a lot happier today,” Brown joked.
Freshman Raleygh Simpson, who had a sister playing for Eastern Kentucky in the tourney, went 37-37 Tuesday to complete UK’s strong finish.
Kentucky will play again Sept. 20-22 at the Mason Rudolph Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt University at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.
