Moyea Russell leads at the halfway mark of the 23^rd Kentucky Women’s Open. The Hebron product who now attends Southern Illinois put on a fantastic display of consistency during Tuesday’s opening round at Frankfort Country Club to take a one-stroke lead after shooting 72 (E). Russell made a bogey on the par-five 3rd but got the shot back shortly thereafter on the par-five 5th with a birdie. Sixteen pars filled out the rest of her scorecard including a back nine with nothing but pars on that side of the golf course.

“My ball striking was really good today,” Russell said. “Putts weren’t falling for me, but I was giving myself chances which is all I can ask for. I just told myself to keep having fun and putts will eventually fall. Tomorrow I just want to keep my irons in gear and hopefully some putts will start going in. It’ll be fun and I just want to enjoy my last tournament before heading back to school.”

A trio of players trail Russell by a single shot going into the final round; Kasey Miller, Sarah Hinton and Mikhaela Denise Fortuna are those directly behind Russell. Seven more players lurk between two and four shots behind, meaning eleven players are within four of Russell’s lead which should make for an exciting final round. Tee times will begin at 8:00 a.m. EDT with the final group beginning their day at 11:10 a.m. EDT.

ROUND ONE NOTES:

• The hardest hole during the opening round at Frankfort Country Club was the par-four 4^th. Playing at an average score to par of +1.07, it was the only hole to average more than bogey. No birdies were made and only eighteen players made par.
• The par-three 10^th was the easiest hole which played at an average score of +0.24. While just three birdies were made on this sharply downhill hole, only sixteen players made bogey or worse.
• One eagle was recorded throughout the day. It came courtesy of Sydnee Beard on the par-five 15^th, who sits T44 after an opening round of 86 (+14).

Golf House Kentucky will have frequent updates during tomorrow’s final round. Fans can join the conversation using the hashtag #KYWomensOpen. A live video will be available to view on Facebook when the contenders play the 18^th hole on Wednesday afternoon.

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