Oct. 12, 2009
Team Standings Day One | Combined Standings Day One
AKRON, Ohio — Led by senior Jordan Blann, who posted one of the lowest second-round scores of the day at 2-under-par, the Kentucky men’s golf team sits in fourth place after a 36-hole score of 589 at the Firestone Invitational on Monday.
Blann, who currently is first on the Kentucky Golf Association Amateur Player of the Year standings, played great golf all day. The senior posted two eagles in the first 36 holes of the tournament, a score of three on the par-5 18th hole in the first round and a three on the par-5 fifth hole in the second round. The Bowling Green, Ky., native’s second-round score of 70 was the second-lowest score of the day in the second round.
Four other Wildcats finished the first day of competition in the top 25. Senior Derek Oldham sits in sixth place after an impressive day of golf. The native of Lexington, Ky., spent time on top of the leaderboard after posting a UK low score of 3-under-par 69 in the first round, which also ties a career-low score for Oldham. The senior shot a 3-over-par 75 in the second round to finish the day with a total score of 144. Oldham is playing as an individual in the tournament along with freshman Joseph Barr, who finished tied for 20th with a score of 147, and sophomore Mads Kristensen, who sits in a tie for 42nd with a 152.
Senior Ben Fuqua and junior James Kania are the final two Wildcats to card top-25 scores. Fuqua shot a 1-over-par 73 in both the first and second rounds to tie for 13th. Fuqua had seven birdies on the day, more than any other UK golfer. Kania, who early on Monday was announced as the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s William Hyndman III Player of the Year award, finished the second round in a tie for 24th. The junior shot back-to-back 2-over-par 74s to start the tournament. The native of Haverford, Pa., carded five birdies for the tournament. Freshmen Michael Kania and Chase Parker, sit tied for 42nd and 58th respectfully.
Overall, Kentucky (296-293-589) sits in fourth place for the tournament and within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard. The Wildcats sit just four strokes behind third place Michigan State (293-292-585), 12 strokes behind second place St. Mary’s College (291-286-577) and 13 strokes behind first place Eastern Michigan (283-293-576).
Blann, Oldham and Fuqua are all in the hunt for the individual title. Currently, Western Carolina’s Ricky Stout is the leader at 5-under-par with Eastern Michigan’s Marty Jeppesen sitting second at 4-over-par.
The third and final round of the tournament will start Tuesday morning. Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for the final results of the Firestone Invitational.
