HOT SPRINGS, Va. ? The Kentucky men?s golf team is in position to make a run at its first NCAA Division I Men?s Golf Championship after juniors John Holmes and Matt Wells made a pair of clutch eagles on hole 17 to help the Cats finish the day in second place, just five strokes behind UCLA (289-283-275=847).

Holmes teed off on the second to last hole one-under par with his team desperately needing a lift. The Cats had played a solid round, but were seven-over par on the back nine to that point. The 2004 NCAA Central Region individual champion delivered in the clutch by dropping an amazing putt from the edge of the green to put him at three-under par going into the final hole of the day.

?I had a solid round with just one bogey today and I made some good shots when it counted,? a modest Holmes said of his performance. ?This whole team is playing well and we look forward to competing for the title tomorrow.?

Just a few minutes after Holmes? great shot, Wells faced the exact same situation from the opposite side of the hole and responded with an eagle of his own giving Kentucky a great deal of momentum heading into the final round of play.

?We have had a great year and this would be the perfect ending to a highly successful season,? Wells said. ?We played O.K. in the fall, but we?ve played very well the past couple of months. Hopefully, we?ll be able to pull it off tomorrow and take another championship back to Lexington.?

Kentucky started the day one stroke behind California (279-289-287=852), but outplayed the Golden Bears head-to-head in the third round by three strokes. However, UCLA fired a five-under par tournament low 275 to move into the top spot. UK?s solid play down the stretch and ability to out-drive the majority of the field makes it a formidable contender to compete for the title over the final 18 holes.

?We had a couple lows today and a lot of highs,? Head Coach Brian Craig said. ?We played a great round of golf other than two holes. I felt like the whole round we were playing pretty well and if we could just get in the house we?d be alright. I just didn?t expect it to happen the way it did.?

Wells? two-under par 67 moved him to six-under for the tournament, which is good for third place behind Chris Nallen (Arizona) and Ryan Moore (UNLV). The junior began Thursday?s round with back-to-back bogeys before recording his first eagle of the tournament on hole three. He then played even with a pair of birdies and a pair of bogeys before his hole 17 eagle.

?I had a rough start,? Wells said. ?My eagle on three got me back on track, pumped and ready to go.?

Holmes is currently three-under par for the tournament and in seventh place after 54 holes. Kentucky juniors Mark Blakefield and Brandon Waldrop posted a pair of 74 scores on Thursday and sophomore Tyler Wilson recorded a 77. Waldrop was on his way to a solid round at one-under par going into the 17th hole, but was set back by a quadruple bogey that included a trip into the woods.

?Brandon had a great round going and it is unfortunate that he made a nine on a hole that he could easily hit in two,? Craig said. ?But, John and Matt came right behind him with two eagles.?

The Cats are set to tee off the final round at The Homestead Resort?s Cascade Course at 9:21 a.m. Regardless of the outcome, it will be Kentucky?s highest finish in the NCAA Championships in school history after finishing 27th in 1947 and not reaching the final round of the tournament since.

Kentucky Scores

3 Matt Wells 68-68-68=204
7 John Holmes 71-69-67=207
T40 Mark Blakefield 71-72-74=217
T109 Brandon Waldrop 73-77-74=224
155 Tyler Wilson 82-79-77=238

Individual Standings

1 Ryan Moore (UNLV) 76-70-64=201
2 Chris Nallen (Arizona) 69-67-67=203
3 Matt Wells (UK) 68-68-68=204
T4 Bill Haas (Wake Forest) 70-68-67=205
T4 Travis Johnson (UCLA) 69-68-68=205

Team Standings

1 UCLA 289-283-275=847
2 Kentucky 283-286-283=852
3 California 279-289-287=855
T4 Washington 289-282-285=856
T4 Arizona 292-281-283=856

Friday Tee Times

9:21 a.m. ? Tyler Wilson
9:30 a.m. ? Brandon Waldrop
9:39 a.m. ? Mark Blakefield
9:48 a.m. ? John Holmes
9:57 a.m. ? Matt Wells