LOUISVILLE, KY (June 21, 2023) – Before the rain set in at Oxmoor Country Club, it appeared Alaina Schmitt would be running away with the first round of our KGA Women’s Stroke Play Championship. Then the rain came, and the field started to bunch up down the stretch. At one point in the day, there we three players tied at the top at one over par. The round ended with Taryn Walker taking over the leaderboard with a one-shot lead over Elizabeth Eberle at 73 (+1).

Walker, a more experienced player in the Open Division, used that to her advantage in the wet conditions. The round was steady as it gets, with Walker making seventeen pars and one blemish on card coming on the par four sixth. Walker is most known for her appearance on Big Break Sandals Resort back in 2010. From there, she has continued to appear on leaderboards throughout women’s golf in Kentucky.

Eberle, a graduating senior from Madison Central High School, is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard. Last year at the KHSAA Girls State Championship, she finished tied third with a final round 70 (-2). Eberle is committed to the University of Cincinnati as a member of the Women’s Golf Team.

Schmitt, a member of the Bellarmine University Women’s Golf Team, found herself in the final pairing for tomorrow’s round despite her slip down the stretch. She had a great round going as she was two under par through twelve holes. Three bogeys and a double on her last 6 holes put her two shots back entering the final round.

Net scores are also being counted in this championship and June Lee holds the lead in that category from the Open Division. She leads by three strokes after totaling 69 (-3) in today’s round.

On the senior side for players over the age of 50, the gross lead is held by Cynthia Powell at 86 (+14). She has mounted a large lead over Janet Miller. Miller, however, is our co-leader on the net scoreboard and is joined by Joan Mott at that spot after matching scores of 74 (+2).

NOTES & STATS

• The par five 10^th and the par four 11^th were the hardest holes today for the ladies both playing a full stroke over par.
• The ladies took advantage of the other par fives on the course with scoring averages of -0.43 on hole 2, 0.14 on hole 5, and another -0.43 on hole 17.
• Autumn King had an impressive eagle today, holing out from the fairway on the par four 7^th at Oxmoor CC. She picked up multiple shots on the field as that hole was in the running for one of the toughest of the day at .73.

Click here to view the leaderboard

Golf House Kentucky will continue to have full coverage of the championship on its Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Attendance at the event is free of charge and encouraged.

About the Kentucky Golf Association:
The Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The Kentucky Golf Association represents the amateur body of Kentucky’s golfers working in assistance with the United States Golf Association (USGA). The KGA provides a wide range of services, including handicapping, USGA course and slope ratings, and tournament management software to its Member Clubs. The KGA also operates the state’s premier amateur tournaments along with USGA National Championship qualifiers. Alongside the KGF and KPGA, the KGA strives to promote the benefits and enjoyment of golf while continuing to grow the sport across the Commonwealth.