Men's Golf
Euler Paces Cats on Opening Day of Puerto Rico Classic

Euler Paces Cats on Opening Day of Puerto Rico Classic

by Deb Moore

Day One Results
 
RIO MAR, Puerto Rico – Junior Lukas Euler carded a round of 1-over par to lead the Kentucky men’s golf team on the opening day of play at the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday.
 
Kentucky is in 14th following the tournament’s opening 18 holes. The Wildcats will tee off beginning at 8 a.m. off of the par-four 15th hole during the second round and will be paired with Virginia Tech and UNC Greensboro.
 
The Wildcats combined for an 11-over par score during the opening round and sit just four shots back of the top 10. No. 8 Oklahoma is the leader after round one after carding a 274 to begin the tournament. NC State and Georgia Tech are tied for second. Purdue is in fourth and Clemson and East Carolina are tied for fifth.
 
The loaded field includes all but one team ranked inside of the top 100 of GolfStat’s collegiate rankings. Kentucky is poised to make a run after already recording the lowest round in the Brian Craig era earlier this season.

Player Roundup

Euler opened his round on the par-five fifth and began the day in red numbers with a birdie on the opening hole. He played even-par over the next 11 holes before a bogey on the par-four 17th dropped him a stroke. Euler pared the next four holes before bogeying the fourth and finishing the day at 1-over par. He finishes the day in a tie for 33rd and is seeking his fifth-consecutive top-20 finish.
 
Sophomore Matt Liston finished the opening round in a tie for 37th following a 2-over, 73. Liston had birdies on the par-five third and the par-four sixth to highlight his round.
 
Senior Chip McDaniel charted a 3-over, 74, to begin the week. He played the back nine of the course at 1-under par with a red number on the par-four 15th.
 
Senior Cooper Musselman shot a 76 and is in a tie for 58th, while classmate Evan Cox fired a 78 and sits in a tie for 65th. Both players registered a pair of birdies on the day.

The Tournament Setup

Teams: Alabama, Clemson, East Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Purdue, UNC Greensboro, Virginia Tech
 
Course Details: Set on the picturesque Caribbean coast, the Puerto Rico Classic will be played at Rio Mar Beach and Spa Resort’s Ocean Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Although the tournament began in 1999, this will be the third year that Kentucky will be competing. 
 
Format: Par 71, 6,716 yards – Play five and count four scores
 
Schedule of Play: 54 total holes; 18 holes each day
                Monday, Feb. 19 – Round 2
                Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Round 3
 
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
 
Forecast: Monday (partly cloudy and windy, high of 81), Tuesday (partly cloudy and windy, high of 81)

History at the Puerto Rico Classic  

Years Participated: 2016, 2017
 
Best Finish: 4th – 2016
 
Returning Player Finishes From 2016: Cooper Musselman (T11th), Chip McDaniel (T11th)
 
Returning Player Finishes From 2017: Cooper Musselman (T5th), Chip McDaniel (T20th), Lukas Euler (T45th)
 
Noteworthy: Cooper Musselman shot under par in all three rounds in his top-five finish a season ago. Chip McDaniel led off the weekend with a 3-under, 69, last year.

Agate

Kentucky
T33 – Lukas Euler (72, +1)
T37 – Matt Liston (73, +2)
T48 – Chip McDaniel (74, +3)
T58 – Cooper Musselman (76, +5)
T65 – Evan Cox (78, +7)
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com
 

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