When former Owensboro Red Devil Ke’Asha Phillips stepped up to the 18th tee Thursday at Griffin Gate Golf Club, she had no idea where her score was compared to her nearest competitor.
When she walked off the green after sinking a long putt for birdie, Phillips had finished at 7-under and captured the Open Gross Division title at the 2020 Kentucky Women’s Individual Stroke Play Championship.
Phillips said when she stood over the putt, which she estimated to be around 40 feet, she wasn’t pressured to make it. She said she was just trying to get it close and grab a par.
But, Phillips buried it with her putter — the club she said she struggled with during the front nine.
She said she was just hoping her putts came around on the back.
“They did,” she said. “That’s all you can really ask for.”
Phillips had four birdies on the back nine to finish at 70 for the day and -7 for the tournament to claim the crown by one stroke.
“Obviously I go into every tournament trying to win,” she said. “I played a week and a half ago at the Kentucky Women’s Open. I was playing well, I shot around par, but it was just everyone else was playing better and they were getting more birdies. It was just good to finally win and see all my hard work paying off.”
Phillips’ junior season at Xavier was cut short due to COVID-19, but she said she had a plan in place.
“I’ve got five months to really grind and work on my swing, just my game in general,” she said. “I’ve been working on a few swing changes, slight stuff. I was going into it like hopefully we could play summer golf because COVID messed with that. We were able to get a couple tournaments here in late July. I’m just excited I at least got to play.”
When sports started getting canceled around the country, Phillips said she was getting nervous she wouldn’t be able to spend her days at Ben Hawes Golf Course anymore.
“If the golf course closes, I won’t know what to do with my life,” she said. “Being able to work at the course has helped a lot so i’ve just been out there working and practicing right after work.”
Phillips heads back to Cincinnati in the next couple of weeks and although the fall season is canceled, she has hopes their spring season can still occur.
