Wildcats Return to Action at Hootie at Bulls Bay

2017-18 Season Stats
 
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fresh off back-to-back top-five finishes, the Kentucky men’s golf team is slated to return to action on Sunday for a three-day, 54-hole event at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, South Carolina.
 
The Wildcats have played three events in less than weeks with each of the first two resulting in a top-five team finish. For the season, the Cats own six top-five finishes. Individually, Kentucky is owners of 10 top-10 finishes and 18 top-20 finishes on the season.
 
Last week, senior Cooper Musselman posted a tie for seventh at the Schenkel Invitational to lead the way. Musselman shot 8-under par for the tournament and all three rounds came in under par. Junior Lukas Euler carded his fifth top-20 finish when he tied for 17th with a 2-under overall score.
 
Kentucky is set to take on the Hootie for the 14th consecutive season. Head coach Brian Craig has led the team to a win at this event in 2005 with a sixth-place finish a season ago. Thirteen of the field’s 15 teams rank inside of the top 100 via Golfstat’s rankings as of March 20, headlined by No. 9 Auburn.

Coach Craig’s Takeaway

“The Hootie is our third event in a short timeframe. I like the direction we are trending. We still have so much room for improvement though. This would be a great week to hit our stride.” 

Lineup Profiles 

Cooper Musselman: Musselman has started in all eight events for the Wildcats this season with four top-10 finishes, including a seventh-place showing at last week’s Schenkel Invitational. He has 13 par-or-better rounds with all three rounds a week ago coming in under par. He will make his 40th career start this week for the Wildcats and owns a 72.05 stroke average on the year.
 
Chip McDaniel: McDaniel is averaging 72.71 strokes a round and will make his eighth start of the season. He has earned one individual tournament victory this season and has carded five top-20 finishes. McDaniel just missed out on another top-20 finish at last week’s Schenkel when he tied for 22nd overall.  
 
Lukas Euler: Euler is playing the best golf of his career for the Wildcats during his junior campaign. He owns a squad-best 71.90 stroke average with five top-20 finishes and 14 par-or-better rounds on the year. He tied for 17th at the Schenkel and played 2-under par for the tournament.  
 
Fred Allen Meyer: Meyer will make his sixth start of the season and second consecutive. For the season, Meyer is averaging 73.22 strokes per round with six coming in at par or better, including a second-round 68 at the Schenkel last week. That score matched his career-low tally.  
 
Max Mehles: Mehles will make his second-career start this week at the Hootie at Bulls Bay. Mehles has appeared in four tournaments during his redshirt-freshman season and is logging a 74.33 stroke average with one top-10 finish. He has two sub-70 rounds in back-to-back tournaments. 

The Tournament Setup

Teams: Auburn, College of Charleston, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Kent State, Louisville, Missouri, NC State, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Wofford
 
Course Details: Bulls Bay Golf Club, built in 2002, is a private course (par 72) with bent grass greens and Bermuda fairways that plays at a long 7,220 yards. 
 
Format: Three-day, 54-hole event. Count top four scores each day.
 
Schedule of Play: Players will play 18 holes each day
 
Live Look: Live stats are available via birdiefire.
 
Forecast: Sunday (High of 55, 80% chance of AM rain); Monday (Cloudy, high of 55); Tuesday (Mostly cloudy and a high of 61) 

History at Hootie at Bulls Bay  

Years Participated: 13 (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005)
 
Best Finish: First (2005)
 
Returning Player Finishes From 2017: Fred Allen Meyer (T12), Cooper Musselman (T24), Chip McDaniel (T24), Lukas Euler (T65)
 
Noteworthy: Fred Allen Meyer carded a 2-under par 214 to tie for 12th at least season’s event. He played all three rounds at par or better. 

Upcoming Schedule

March 25-27       Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate            Awendaw, S.C.
April 9-10            Gary Koch Invitational                              Gastonia, N.C.
April 26-29          SEC Championships                                St. Simons Island, Ga.

Agate 

Kentucky
1 – Cooper Musselman
2 – Chip McDaniel
3 – Lukas Euler
4 – Fred Allen Meyer
5 – Max Mehles
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.