Ke’Asha Phillips locks down State Women’s Open at Bellefonte.

ASHLAND, KY (July 12, 2022) – Ke’Asha Phillips secured a wire-to-wire victory on Tuesday at Bellefonte Country Club to capture the 26^th Kentucky Women’s Open. The Owensboro native won one of the most prestigious pieces of golf hardware in the state for the first time in her career and is the first native Kentuckian to win the tournament since Lauren Hartlage in 2018.

Phillips finished the tournament with a total score of 142 (+2) which gave her a three-stroke margin of victory over Mary Keene Marrs. Phillips started the final round up by two strokes and quickly built her advantage to five strokes after the 2^nd hole. That cushion was short-lived with Marrs making birdies on the 2^nd, 3^rd and 6^th holes to bring Phillips’ lead back to two strokes at the halfway point of the round.

Bellefonte’s inward nine provided a stern test for the field with few birdies to be found resulting in par oftentimes being a great score on many holes. Phillips was able to do something not many players could do on the back, which is collect those pars without much stress. She made it through the 15^th hole at even-par for that side and by doing so, had reestablished her five-shot advantage. Late bogeys on the 16^th and 18^th holes made little impact on the outcome, and Phillips was able to soak up the late stages of the round with the biggest victory of her career in tow.

“I was able to manage some adversity really well today,” Phillips summed up after the championship. “I made double bogey on the 5^th hole, but I just kind of reminded myself that there was still so much golf left to play and I had plenty of opportunities to make up for that. I just stayed the course and kept swinging. It feels pretty good to win a tournament of this magnitude though. I think I finished in the top-three at this event a few years back and it’s nice to be able to come on top of it this time.”

Marrs finished in solo second and had the low round of the day with 71 (+1) helping her get to that spot. Olivia Hensley, an Ashland local, finished in third place four shots back of Phillips. Sarah Fite finished the tournament as the low professional in fourth and earned a $1,000 check for her efforts.

NOTES & STATS

• The par-four 6^th was the hardest of the final round, carrying a stroke-to-par average of +1.25. Marrs along with Madison Hudson were each able to make birdies here that were worth much more than just one stroke on this day.
• Hole 6 also came in as the hardest hole for the competition when factoring in both rounds at +0.91.
• The par-three 3^rd was the most gettable hole on Tuesday at +0.21. Four birdies were made here, tied for the most of any hole on Tuesday alongside the 1^st, 2^nd, 8^th, and 11^th.
• Hole 11 was the easiest hole when accounting for both days’ scores at +0.25.
• For the tournament, the back nine was able to sneak past the front side for being the easier side. Holes 10-18 had an average score of 39.74 (+4.74) compared to 40.33 (+5.33) on the outward nine.

Click here to view the final results

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The Kentucky PGA extends its thanks to Jeff Bostic, PGA Head Golf Professional and the entire staff at Bellefonte Country Club for their hosting of the championship. The Section also sends its appreciation towards each of the players who competed in the tournament. Finally, the KPGA lends its gratitude towards MyTown TV for their coverage of the championship and providing unprecedented viewing access for golf fans across the state to take in the event.

Women’s golf in Kentucky will have another prestigious 36-hole tournament coming up in one month with the Kentucky Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship at University Club of Kentucky on August 11-12. Phillips is a past champion of that event, having won the inaugural edition in 2020.

About the Kentucky PGA:
The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky; all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League among others. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the three State Open championships and qualifiers for the Barbasol Championship.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703