CHARDON, Ohio ? The University of Kentucky men?s golf team defeated Texas by a stroke today, May 20, to finish 10th at the NCAA Central Regional and earn a berth to the NCAA championships in Sunriver, Ore. This is the fourth straight trip to the NCAA tournament for the Wildcats who finished the third and final round at the Sand Ridge Golf Course with a score of 291 to finish at 884 (+32) for the three-day event.
Lexington native Tyler Wilson birdied his final two holes to give the Cats a one-stroke edge over No. 11 Texas. Wilson, who led the Cats all weekend, finished the round with a score of 75 and tied for 24th overall with a score of 219 (72-72-75).
Senior Matt Kohn saved his best for last. The Longwood, Fla., native was two-over par at the turn before he recorded four birdies and eagled the par-five 14th hole to finish at one-over par 72. Kohn tied for 37th overall with a score of 221 (74-75-72). Andy Winings struggled on Friday, but showed no signs of a repeat performance on Saturday. The freshman turned in the best Wildcat effort of the three-day event with a one-under par 70 behind the strength of three birdies, including two on the back nine. Winings finished tied for 75th with a total of 227 (73-84-70).
Freshman Dan Woltman shot an 80 in his final round to finish at 228 (72-76-80), while sophomore Brad Doster rounded out the scoring for the Cats with a total score of 229 (76-79-74).
?Basically, this was as exciting and dramatic a finish as I?ve ever witnessed in team golf. I just couldn?t be happier for this team and I am particularly proud of Tyler Wilson and the way he finished with two birdies to beat Texas by a shot,? said head coach Brian Craig. ?Matt Kohn played his heart out on the back nine and Andy Winings just played a phenomenal last round of golf. He got us started in the right direction being the first man out on the course today. This was a gusty performance by a gusty bunch of guys and we?re looking forward to going out to the finals and see how we stack up against the best teams in the country.?
The Wildcats return to action May 31-June 3 as they travel to Sunriver, Ore., to battle for a national title.
UK Scores T24 ? Tyler Wilson ? 219 (72-72-75)
T37 ? Matt Kohn ? 221 (74-75-72)
T75 ? Andy Winings ? 227 (73-84-70)
T86 ? Dan Woltman ? 228 (72-76-80)
T90 ? Brad Doster ? 229 (76-79-74)
AGATE
1. Oklahoma State 845 (280-285-280); 2. Northwestern 861 (281-293-287); T3. Texas A&M 867 (284-291-292); Georgia Tech 867 (295-288-284); 5. Lamar 869 (286-295-288); 6. Minnesota 874 (291-292-291); 7. Oklahoma 877 (292-298-287); 8. Clemson 881 (296-294-291); 9. Duke 883 (286-301-296); 10. Kentucky 884 (291-302-291); 11. Texas 885 (291-301-293); 12. Purdue 886 (291-303-292); 13. TCU 889 (293-297-299); 14. Tulsa 892 (297-295-300); 15. SMU 895 (294-301-300); T16. Texas-Arlington 901 (298-307-296); Xavier 901 (307-303-291); 18. Kansas State 903 (306-307-290); 19. Missouri 905 (306-299-300); 20. Kent State 909 (296-310-303); 21. Colorado 911 (306-305-300); 22. Nebraska 923 (306-318-299); 23. Siena College 928 (302-304-322); 24. Eastern Kentucky 929 (309-318-302); 25. Cleveland State 934 (318-315-301); 26. Princeton 943 (324-311-308); 27. St. Francis-Pennsylvania 944 (324-304-316).
