April 19, 2009
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Finishing seventh in 2009 Southeastern Conference Championship, Kentucky men’s golf recorded its best finish since 2006 at the Frederica Golf Club against 10 SEC teams ranked in the top 50.
led the Wildcats with a 3-under par, eighth-place finish.
“We were very close to having an excellent finish in the SEC tournament,” head coach
said. “I am especially proud of the way Jordan Blann played. He had a chance to win with nine holes left to play and that is impressive.”
Entering the conference tournament as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, the Georgia Bulldogs easily took home the SEC title with a 15-under par performance. Florida’s Billy Herschel is the individual champion with a tournament total 10-under par.
With a 297-285-294-876 and a seventh-place finish, the Wildcats recorded their best SEC finish since the 2006 season. Kentucky’s team-total 285 on Saturday is its one-round lowest score since 2005, when they shot a 283 in the final round en route to the school’s first SEC tournament title in men’s golf.
Bowling Green, Ky., native Blann led UK with a 3-under par 213, shooting a 67-70-76. The junior’s 5-under par 67 in Friday’s opening round jumpstarted his
eighth place finish for Blann’s third straight top-10 performance in the 2008-09 season.
In the best finish of his career at the SEC tournament, Winings finished tied for 12th, shooting an even par, for his fourth consecutive top 15 finish in the spring season. The co-captain blasted a 5-under par 67 on Sunday, including seven birdies on the 7,217 yard, par-72 course. Winings leads the Wildcats with 58 par or better rounds in his stellar collegiate career.
finished tied for 31st place with an 82-66-74-222 in his first appearance in the prestigious SEC tournament. Fuqua’s 16-stroke improvement from round one to round two was the largest scoring gap the senior has had in his four years as a Wildcat. The second-round 66 marked the best round ever in the SEC tournament by anyone currently on the roster. It was also the fifth time this season the Danville, Ky., native has shot in the 60’s.
“Andy Winings and Ben Fuqua also showed great character by bouncing back from poor first rounds to have respectable finishes,” Craig said. “We are on the right track as we head into the NCAA postseason.”
Also making their first appearance in postseason play, sophomore
finished in 54th place with a 15-over par and freshman
shot a 17-over par for a share of the 56th spot.
The Wildcats wait to hear what NCAA region they will be playing after qualifying for NCAA postseason play for the sixth time in the past seven years. The regional dates are set for May 14-16. Log onto UKathletics.com for future information as to what region the Kentucky men’s golf will be playing in.
Kentucky Score Agate
7 Kentucky +12 F 297 285 294 876, 8
+17 F 78 78 77 233
Team Agate
1 Georgia
2 Arkansas
3 Florida
T4 LSU
T4 South Carolina
6 Alabama
7 Kentucky
8 Mississippi
9 Mississippi St.
10 Vanderbilt
11 Tennessee
12 Auburn
