UK Women’s Golf: Johansson Finishes 2nd at Annual Battle of the Bluegrass

LACONIA, Ind. – The Kentucky women’s golf team teed off its spring season Sunday in the second annual Battle of the Bluegrass, a dual-match against in-state rival Louisville. Sophomore Isabelle Johansson finished in second place overall, but the Cardinals defeated the Wildcats behind a strong second round.
 
The match was originally scheduled to be played at the Legacy Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but unsuitable course conditions due to weather moved the match to Chariot Run Golf Course in Laconia, Ind. With the change in location, the two teams were able to play 36 holes on Sunday instead of the originally planned 18 holes, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
 
Kentucky led after the first 18 holes with a 17-over-par 305, good enough for a five-stroke lead, but Louisville answered  with a 9-over 297 in the final 18 holes to win the match. Kentucky finished with a 42-over 618, while Louisville posted a 31-over 607.
 
Johansson, who led the Wildcats in the fall with a 75.6 stroke average, stayed true to form with an opening-round 75 and a 76 in the afternoon. She totaled a 7-over-par 151, five strokes behind individual champion Laura Restrepo.
 
Junior Jordan Chael, who owns the Wildcats’ best individual finish of the year, a 10th-place finish at the Minnesota Invitational, recorded a 9-over 153 (78-75).
 
Senior Cylia Damerau was in the hunt for the individual title after the opening 18 holes with a 75, but she closed with an 81 and finished in eighth with a 156.
 
Sophomore Anna Hack placed 10th with a 158 (77-81), while freshman Claire Carlin, who joined the Wildcats this semester and made her Kentucky debut Sunday, finished in 15th with a 164.
 
Windy conditions Sunday with gusts ranging between 20 and 30 miles per hour turned an already difficult golf course at Chariot Run into a challenging test for the Wildcats. Listed at 6,208 yards with a par 72, the course played much longer at times with the wind.
 
Sunday’s match is just the beginning of the spring for the Wildcats as they look to extend their school-record five NCAA regional appearances to six later in the season.
 
Kentucky will return to tournament play next week at the UCF Challenge in Orlando, Fla. That three-day tournament will begin Feb. 7.
by Eric Lindsey