SIMPSONVILLE, KY (June 23, 2021) – The 94^th edition of the Women’s Kentucky State Amateur goes to Rylea Marcum. The Georgetown resident and sophomore to-be at Eastern Kentucky University triumphed on Wednesday at University of Louisville Golf Club in the match play competition that began on Monday.

The final day for Marcum and the other three competitors remaining in the Championship Division began with semifinal matches, with Marcum facing Sarah Fite while Sarah Shipley took on Ryan Bender. Marcum and Shipley seemed to be on a collision course early in the day as both players took early leads in their respective matches before both players won comfortably in the middle of the back nine. For Marcum, it was a 6&4 victory that moved her on, while Shipley advanced following a 6&5 win.

Shortly thereafter, Marcum and Shipley started their second round of the day with the trophy on the line. Marcum took an early 2 UP advantage just several holes in, but Shipley brought the match back to level pegging by the end of the front nine sending them to holes 10-18 all knotted up. Steady play from each player down the stretch featured eight pars and one bogey apiece for both players. The level playing field sent them to extra holes and after both made par on hole 19, a par from Marcum on their 20^th hole of the match proved to be the decisive moment when Shipley made bogey.

The victory for Marcum is the latest on a long list of impressive accomplishments she has accumulated since the mid-2010s. She was already the first player to ever win all age divisions of the Kentucky Girls Junior Amateur, she is a past USGA and PGA of America National Championship participant, a competitor of the North & South Junior Championship, but now she owns the most historic title in Kentucky women’s golf after today’s victory.

“This feels amazing,” Marcum described after her final match. “This was only my second tournament of the year since the NCAA denied my eligibility in the spring, so it was just good to be back out and competing. Sarah Shipley is a really good player and forced me to play a good match out there. I ended up having to make some putts and keep my focus out there, but my dad (Shane) was super helpful throughout the day assuring me I was doing the right things and getting me through a day where I certainly felt a lot of nerves.”

Several other divisions were contested this week which produced the following winners:

• Catie Kelly – Championship Division First Flight
• Candice Iceman – Mid-Am Division
• Roz Tender – Senior Division First Flight
• Jonnie McPeek – Senior Division Second Flight
• Brenda Wilson – Senior Division Third Flight
• Charlotte Logsdon – Senior Division Championship Flight

There was one other key accomplishment to note this week which came courtesy of Ryan Bender on Tuesday. The University of Kentucky junior to-be recorded a hole-in-one on the 3^rd hole which helped her become a semifinalist.

The Kentucky Golf Association and Women’s Kentucky Golf Association extend their thanks to Chad Stocker, PGA Head Golf Professional at University of Louisville Golf Club and his team for their assistance in hosting this premier tournament. Appreciation is also expressed towards each of the players who competed this week for supporting the tournament and playing a role in its continued success.

Click here to view the brackets

Click here to view the photo gallery

Next up on the calendar for Kentucky’s female golfers is the 25^th playing of the Kentucky Women’s Open, which will take place July 12-13 from Danville Country Club. Registration for that tournament is open and can be done so by clicking here.