Owensboro’s very own Ke’Asha Phillips is back to putting on strong showings at golf tournaments, most recently winning the Kentucky Women’s Open Championship as she continues her journey towards a professional golf career.
Phillips shot a 68 on day one and shot a 74 on day two in order to finish two over par (142), defeating the second place finisher by three strokes. Fellow Owensboro native Macey Brown wasn’t far behind her in a tie for sixth, finishing with a 149.
While it might not have been the best rounds of golf that Phillips hoped for, she felt that her efforts on day one helped her set the tone for a solid performance that led her to the win.
“It went pretty good,” Phillips said. “The first day was obviously better than the second day. I had some putts that were going in and I had some more birdies, so I kind of put myself in a good position… I thought overall it was a pretty good two days.”
Phillips said the biggest difference in her game from day one to day two was her struggles hitting the ball well off the tee in the latter round. However, her ability to recover from these difficulties was what she thinked helped her finish atop the competition.
“I thought my short game was pretty decent,” Phillips said. “It always helps when your putter is on your side. I think my putting [was good] and then when I didn’t hit the green I was able to get up and down most of the time.”
Phillips has been playing in the Kentucky Women’s Open since she was in high school and even came in third a few years ago. Having competed in the tournament for so long and being near home surrounded by some of her fellow competitors, Phillips was thrilled to finally come away with a first place trophy.
“I think it’s probably one of the biggest tournaments in the state, so it feels good to win that and then also just being at home,” Phillips said. “Just being around the girls that you grew up with and the ladies that you grew up with [is nice]. It’s nice to have that win under my belt now.”
Phillips said that she has been practicing non-stop on her craft, taking time everyday to go through her usual routines and make sure she is at the top of her game. This effort outside of competing against others is what helps have the mindset to go into each tournament and play freely.
“Overall I always say if I approach every tournament the same, then I’m happy with myself,” Phillips said. “As long as I’m not going out there and doing things I haven’t done before and stepping over a two-foot putt and looking at it crazy… It’s just kind of like you’ve been working on this for the past however many weeks, months, years, so just go out and play your game.”
Phillips hopes to carry that mindset forward with her, as she will look to continue to take more strides in her game when she competes in a women’s stroke play event early August in Lexington and then heads to Q-School in California in mid-August to really kickstart the opportunity at a professional career.
Ke’Asha will admit she did not play perfectly at the Kentucky Women’s Open Championship, but she was pleased with her play and will use the win and her experience to help her grow and hopefully continue to take more steps toward a professional career.
“It motivates me to work even harder, you know,” Phillips said. “Especially in going and trying to pursue the next level. Obviously a win is a win and I’m very grateful for that, but it’s like alright let’s try to get better. Not everything was perfect. I still have things to work on, so let’s just try to get better, keep working even harder than you were before and then hopefully I have a few more of those rounds.”
