Wildcats Begin 2017-18 Campaign at Wolf Run
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s golf team is set to tee off its 2017-18 campaign with a three-day, 54-hole event at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Indiana, beginning on Friday.
The Wildcats are among 16 teams competing in the annual event held at the Wolf Run Golf Club. It will mark the 10th time in the Brian Craig era the team will take on Wolf Run, including the fifth time in the last six years.
Kentucky will field a five-man team of Chip McDaniel, Cooper Musselman, Lukas Euler, Matt Liston and Fred Allen Meyer, while Jacob Cook, Evan Cox and Max Mehles will compete as individuals.
The event is the first of four fall events for the Wildcats in 2017-18, however Wolf Run will mark the only tournament during the fall in which the team will play over three days.
Coach Craig’s Takeaway
“The boys and I are super excited to kick off a new season. We’ve had an excellent couple of weeks of practice and of qualifying, and we seem to be in very good form. The biggest challenge we will have is keeping command of the Wolf Run course. It is one of the most challenging and difficult tests we will face all year. I feel like we are up for the challenge, and I’m looking forward to seeing how we respond.”
Lineup Profiles
Chip McDaniel: A senior from Manchester, Kentucky, McDaniel has appeared in 33 career tournaments for the Wildcats. His career stroke average is a squad-best 71.89 and he has garnered 19 career top-20 individual finishes. McDaniel has claimed two individual collegiate tournament victories. He has played Wolf Run twice in his career, finishing in a tie for 14th in 2014-15 and in a tie for 23rd a season ago. McDaniel is set to hit the century mark for career rounds played this weekend. He enters the weekend having carded 97 total rounds with the Cats.
Cooper Musselman: Musselman is a senior from Louisville, Kentucky, who has appeared in 32 career tournaments. As a junior, Musselman maintained a career-low 71.90 stroke average. He boasted a career-best round of 67 during a season that saw him start in all 11 tournaments. Throughout his career, he has posted 14 top-20 individual finishes with half of them coming a season ago. Musselman has been UK’s top finisher at Wolf Run in each of its last two appearances. A season ago, he tied for 11th and in 2014-15, he tied for 14th.
Lukas Euler: A junior from Dieburg, Germany, Euler has appeared in 18 tournaments for the Wildcats. He has averaged a 73.96 stroke average over the course of 52 rounds of play. Euler’s freshman season was highlighted by a top-10 finish at the NCAA Regional, while his sophomore season saw him post four top-20 finishes and a low round of 68. He had 10 rounds of par or better last year as well. Euler tied for 18th at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate a season ago as a member of the starting five.
Matt Liston: Liston is a sophomore who hails from Louisville, Kentucky. He appeared in four events as a freshman last season, with his best finish coming at the Schenkel Invitational. Liston carded a career-low round of 71 during the second round of play at that event. He will be making his second career start this week. He was a starter at the General Hackler Championship a year ago and played his other three events as an individual.
Fred Allen Meyer: A junior from Nicholasville, Kentucky, Meyer returns to the lineup after appearing in all 11 events a season ago. He had two top-10 finishes and four top-20 finishes during his sophomore campaign, including a career-best tie for eighth at the Kenny Perry Invitational. Meyer has seen action in 14 career events and owns a 75.08 career stroke average. Meyer finished in a tie for 14th at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate a season ago and placed in the top 50 as an individual in 2014-15.
Jacob Cook: Cook will make his collegiate debut at this week’s Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He hails from Frankfort, Kentucky, and capped his high school career at Franklin County High School owning every statistical record, including a 69.9 stroke average. He was a two-time Central Kentucky Golf Conference Player of the Year and a member of the All-State squad twice during his high school career.
Evan Cox: A senior from Ashland, Kentucky, Cox appeared in five events during his first year with the Kentucky golf program. He made two starts for the Cats during his junior campaign and finished the season owning a 75.43 stroke average. He claimed the 2016 NCAA Division III individual title and was the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Golfer of the Year before coming to Kentucky.
Max Mehles: Mehles, a redshirt freshman from Pulheim, Germany, will also make his collegiate debut this week. He is a two-time German individual champion and competed in five European Team Championships and one World Cup prior to arriving in the Bluegrass State. His top finish was third place at the European Team Championship.
The Tournament Setup
Teams: Arkansas State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, East Carolina, Fort Wayne, Indiana (host), IUPUI, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, North Texas, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, Xavier
Course Details: Wolf Run Golf Club was voted the 15th Best Modern Course by Golfweek in 2007. This Steven R. Smyers course plays 7,155 yards with a par of 71 and a slope rating of 143 on bent grass.
Format: 18-18-18 (tee times off of #1 and #10) – Kentucky will tee off from the No. 1 tee on Friday beginning at 9:45 a.m. ET
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
Forecast: Friday (high of 72 and partly cloudy), Saturday (high of 71 and sunny), Sunday (high of 72 with sunny skies)
History at Wolf Run
Years Participated: 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Best Finish: 1st- 2006
Returning Player Finishes From 2016: Cooper Musselman (T11th), Fred Allen Meyer (T14th), Lukas Euler (T18th), Chip McDaniel (T23rd), Evan Cox (T18th)
Noteworthy: During last year’s tournament, all seven players earned top-25 individual finishes. It was the only time all season in which every Wildcat on the course was among the top-25 individual finishers.
Upcoming Schedule
Sept. 25-26 Bearcat Invitational Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct. 16-17 Crooked Stick Intercollegiate Carmel, Indiana
Oct. 28-29 Steelwood Collegiate Invitational Loxley, Alabama
Agate
Kentucky
1 – Chip McDaniel
2 – Cooper Musselman
3 – Lukas Euler
4 – Matt Liston
5 – Fred Allen Meyer
Ind. – Jacob Cook
Ind. – Evan Cox
Ind. – Max Mehles
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
