News
Ke'Asha Phillips Records 67 (-5) to Lead Women's Stroke Play Championship
LEXINGTON, KY (August 5, 2020) – The inaugural Kentucky Women’s Stroke Play Championship was met with a near-perfect day of weather to kick off the championship’s first round. Many players brought out their quarter-zips for a morning that actually had a chill in the air, but stellar play quickly heated up Griffin Gate Golf Club as the day progressed.
Ke’Asha Phillips’ golf game was red hot throughout the round as she recorded the low score of the day with 67 (-5). The round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-four 5th and punctuated with consecutive birdies on holes 17 and 18, giving the Owensboro native and member of the Xavier Musketeers’ golf team a three-stroke lead in the Open Gross Division. Sarah Fite who recorded 70 (-2) and Taylor Edlin with a 71 (-1) round out the top three and will be alongside Phillips for tomorrow’s final round grouping, which will tee off at 9:00 a.m. EDT.
The Open Net Division featured many low scores, with eight players submitting a number below par. The division is led by Amanda Barnsfather who totaled 64 (-8) to lead Allison Gosney by one stroke.
There is also a Senior Division taking place this week for players aged fifty or older. Two players share the lead in gross scores with 75 (+3), as Sherri Buster and Cynthia Powell sit at that mark. The pair has distanced themselves from their competition entering the final round, as they are five strokes clear of their nearest competitor.
For the Senior Net Division, Sandra Morgan leads the pack having carded 68 (-4). One stroke behind her is Roz Tender, while Teena Freibert and Barbara Ernest shot 70 (-2) and 71 (-1) respectively to round out the players shooting below par.
NOTES AND STATS
- Two eagles were made during Wednesday’s play with Phillips recording the aforementioned eagle on the par-four 5th, while MacKenzie Neal had one of her own on the par-five 10th. Neal would go on to record 73 (+1) which is sixth place in the Open Gross Division.
- The par-five 3rd played as the hardest hole on the golf course to open the competition. At a stroke-to-par average, it totaled +1.24.
- The hole prior was the easiest on the day as the par-three 2nd averaged +0.27.
- The front nine appears to be the area to make a charge for those chasing down the leaders for tomorrow’s round. The outward half averaged out more than a stroke and a half easier than the inward nine today.
Click here to view the leaderboard
