Three consecutive birdies to finish gives Edlin sizable lead in Women’s Amateur Stroke Play.

LEXINGTON, KY (August 11, 2022) – Two-thirds of the way through round one of the Kentucky Women’s Amateur Stroke Play Championship, it appeared there would be a logjam at the top of the leaderboard among several players. That is until Taylor Edlin of Prospect made three straight birdies on holes 16, 17 and 18 at University Club of Kentucky (Big Blue) to shoot 71 (-1), the only under-par round of the day, and take a four-shot lead in the Open Division entering Friday’s final round.

The rising senior at Middle Tennessee State and Sacred Heart alumna had a clean front nine of 36 (E), but the inward nine was full of stories towards the end for the leader. Edlin made triple bogey on the par-four 15^th but demonstrated her resiliency with the ensuing finish. She made five birdies throughout the round, including those final three, earning her a cushion over a pair of players tied for second.

Mary Keene Marrs, an incoming freshman at Eastern Kentucky, along with Belmont graduate student Ryan Bender, each shot 75 (+3) and are Edlin’s closest pursuers. They will join Edlin in the final group on Friday which will tee off at 8:40 a.m. EDT.

Net scores are also being counted in this championship and Nina McMurtrey holds the lead in that category from the Open Division. She leads by a stroke after totaling 70 (-2) on Thursday.

On the senior side for players over the age of 55, the gross lead is held by Cynthia Powell at 79 (+7). She has a one-shot advantage over Susan Stewart. Powell is also a co-leader on the net scoreboard and is joined by Melynda Riley at that spot after matching scores of 76 (+4).

NOTES & STATS

• The par-four 14^th was Thursday’s easiest hole at a stroke-to-par average of -0.12. It was the only hole to average a score under par.
• Holes 15 and 18 tied as the hardest hole in the opening round at +1.00.
• When including the 17^th hole, three of the four hardest holes on Thursday were found between 15-18, making Edlin’s finish that much more impressive.
• Not surprisingly given the difficulty of holes at the end of the round, the back nine was the harder side by a strong margin on Thursday. Holes 10-18 averaged 40.19 strokes (+4.19) versus 38.97 (+2.97) on the front nine.

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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.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703