CA Carter’s father, Jimmy, was a punter at the University of Kentucky and part of the 1998 Outback Bowl team for coach Hal Mumme. He wanted an opportunity for his daughter to also become a college athlete and she’s now a sophomore golfer at the University of Kentucky who will be playing in the NCAA Championships in California with her teammates starting today.

Carter’s grandfather, Rick Sparrow of Harrodsburg, and uncle, Matt Sparrow, were avid golfers along with her father.

“They really got me into the game and just my love for it. We lived on what used to be a golf course in Lexington, and so we’d go out at night and take glow balls and play putt putt until the sprinklers would come on,” the UK sophomore said. “We would go on vacation in Kiawah (South Carolina) and play.

“I grew up loving the game. It was so much fun. I’m so grateful for all of my family and their support. I mean, I would not be who I am without them. It’s so special to get to represent Kentucky and the school and the program. It’s meant so much to my family.”

She grew up following what some UK golfers and teams have done and now she is making her mark on UK golf history.

She tied a Seminole Legacy Golf Course record in the final round of the Tallahassee NCAA Regional last week with her 7-under 65 — the lowest round of her collegiate career. She had a three-putt bogey on the first hold but had 10 pars and seven birdies, including the final four holes, to complete her historic round. That helped UK could from 10 shots behind in the final round to grab one of the NCAA Championship qualifying berths at La Costa Golf Club in Carlsbad, Calif.

Her 6-under par finish tied her for her third individually in the NCAA Regional and was also her best 54-hole score at UK. That came after she was nine-over par in the 54-hole SEC Tournament a week earlier.

“First and foremost, I have to give all the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Carter said. “Mentally, I felt like I was in a really good spot going into the (final) day. I executed two really good shots on the first hole, had a decent look at birdie and I blew it six feet by.  I think that rattled me a little bit because my speed had been pretty good for the most part, and so I get up to the next few holes and left some of my birdie putts a little bit short.”

That’s when UK coach Golda Borst gave her a pep talk and reminded her that her speed on putts had been good in the first two rounds and to trust her instincts.

“I think that settled me down a little bit and I was able to get a birdie on on hole four, and that kind of got my round going again,” Carter, who went on to also birdie the next three holes also, said.

Carter and teammates Cathryn Brown, Raleygh Simpson, Samantha Paradise and Karlie Campbell were all playing in their first NCAA Regional and Carter credits all of them for playing a big role in UK’s dramatic comeback. Simpson had a career-low 4-under 68 in her final found while Brown was at even par and Paradise at 2-over par.

”We knew that our team was going to have a day like that where we put it all together. I know we still left a few shots out there, but just to have that all come together at that time was just amazing. Our season’s not over yet. We still have some really exciting golf left and I think that’s a testament to our coaches and how hard they have worked,” Carter said. “They push us every single day to be the best versions of ourselves, and it just means the world to us.

“Mentally I’ve just been in such a headspace of gratitude and joy and just playing for the love of the game and really freeing myself up to have nothing to lose. We had nothing to lose that last day. It is so much fun to be out there with our coaches. I get to live this dream every single day.”