Marshall University Athletics
Madison Borders Wins Ky. Women’s Stroke Play Championship
7/28/2026 4:07:00 PM | Women's Golf
Herd senior caps dramatic comeback with birdie on 1st playoff hole
BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Marshall senior Madison Borders completed a furious rally at the 7th annual Kentucky Women's Stroke Play Championship on Tuesday, earning a victory after birdieing the first hole of a playoff to win the title.
For Borders, the victory was extra sweet, as it came in her hometown at Bardstown Country Club.
To earn the victory, Borders rallied from three shots down in the final three holes, using a birdie on No. 18 to force a playoff before adding her sixth birdie of the day on the first playoff hole to defeat Mary Keene Marrs.
At the start of the day, a playoff and Borders victory seemed unlikely, given Marrs' commanding seven-stroke lead following an opening day 72.
It seemed even less likely after a triple-bogey on the first hole in Tuesday's final round increased the deficit to eight strokes.
From there, though, Borders went to work quickly and used a stretch of three birdies in five holes – the last of which came on the par-3 8th hole - to pull back within two strokes of Marrs.
After Marrs pushed the lead back to four at the turn, Borders birdied the 10th hole to keep pressure on.
With three holes to play, the lead was still at three shots for Marrs, but Borders' pair of pars on Nos. 16 and 17 combined with Marrs' back-to-back bogeys to make it a one-shot lead heading to the last hole.
Borders came up clutch in the biggest moment, notching a birdie on the par-5 18th while Marrs had to settle or par to forge the playoff.
For Marshall Women's Golf, Borders' victory is the second major state association title won by a Herd golfer this summer as teammate Savannah Hawkins earned the 2026 W.Va. Women's Amateur in June.
For all the latest information about Marshall Women's Golf, follow @HerdWGolf on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
---HerdZone.com---
