⛳️ Hirst Tied for Third, Kansas Tied for Fourth After Round One of UCF Challenge
ORLANDO, Fla. –The Kansas Women’s Golf team sits in a tie for fourth place at one-under after the opening round of the UCF Challenge, led by a four-under round of 68 from junior Lily Hirst, who is tied for third.
The tournament, which is hosted at Eagle Creek Country Club in Orlando, Florida, kicked off on Saturday due to expected inclement weather in the area. The second round will continue Monday, Feb. 5, with the third and final round concluding on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
North Carolina sits atop the leaderboard at nine-under, followed by Charleston (-6), Kentucky (-2), Miami (-1) and Kansas (-1) rounding out the top five.
“We started off well and had a good stretch of holes in the middle,” said head coach Lindsay Kuhle. “We hit the turn and it got a little more difficult for us into the wind on a lot of our finishing holes. It was tough but it was good to finish with some good birdies.”
Hirst, a junior from Huddersfield, United Kingdom, tied her season-low with her round of 68 on Saturday. Hirst teed off on hole 10 and was bogey free through the opening 13 holes, highlighted by four birdies in that span. Hirst finished with six birdies on her card, which included three-under par on the par fives.
Junior Jordan Rothman sits in a tie for 19th after shooting a solid even-par round of 72 which included a birdie and just one bogey.
Junior Lauren Clark, a native of Orlando, Florida, sits in a tie for 32nd after an opening round 73 (+1). Clark’s round was led by two birdies and three bogeys.
Senior Hanna Hawks carded three birdies on the day, finishing with a two-over round of 74 as she sits tied for 43rd. Freshman Lyla Louderbaugh opened the tournament with a three-over round of 75, which included three birdies to keep her in a tie for 53rd. Junior Johanna Ebner, who is competing for Kansas as an individual, shot a three-over round of 75.
“I’m really proud of the team’s effort and how we’re striking the ball,” said Kuhle. “I think we’re hitting it really well and we’re confident, so we need to just keep giving ourselves birdie opportunities.”
Play is suspended on Sunday, Feb. 4 and will resume with the second and third round Feb. 5 and Feb. 6. Live scoring for the final 36 holes can be followed through Golfstat, while fans can follow along with live updates from the official Kansas Women’s Golf Twitter account.
