UK Returns to Action at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s golf team is set to participate in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate for the 16th time under head coach Brian Craig beginning on Sunday for a three-day, 54-hole event.
“The Hootie is one of our absolute favorite events of the year,” Craig said. “Bulls Bay is great test of golf and super unique. I have been around golf my entire life and this team can play. We need to stay patient and keep believing. Our time is coming.”
Although it’s a familiar event under Craig’s direction, none of the current Wildcats have played Bulls Bay Golf Club.
This marks the fourth of five regular-season spring events for the Cats. UK earned a third-place finish at the Kiawah Invitational to open the spring slate. The Wildcats finished 11th at the Southeastern Conference-heavy field of the LSU Invitational and placed sixth at the Schenkel Invitational last week.
Graduate student Reid Bedell’s 72.67 stroke average over three spring events paces the squad. Senior Allen Hamilton is coming off his first top-10 individual finish of the season. He placed seventh at the Schenkel with a 3-under scorecard for the tournament.
Round one gets underway on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET with the Wildcats teeing off from the No. 1 alongside Wichita State and the College of Charleston.
The Lineup
Bedell and Hamilton are joined in the starting lineup by sophomores Alex Goff and Cooper Parks, along with graduate student Jacob Cook.
Goff will tee off from the No. 1 starter spot. He owns a 71.94 stroke average on the season with a pair of top-five finishes. In all 15 rounds as a starter this season, Goff’s scores have counted towards the team’s round. He also has a team-high-tying seven rounds of par or better.
Bedell’s stroke average leads the way for the spring season. He’s finished among the top two for the team scores in all three of his starts this season. Throughout his collegiate career, Bedell has amassed 20 top-20 finishes, including a tie for 10th this season at the Kiawah Invitational.
Cook is the only Wildcat to start in every event this season. He generated career lows in every category this season, including stroke average (72.83), round (68) and score (212). He has accounted for 16 team scores in 18 tries and has matched Goff with a team-high-tying seven rounds of par or lower.
Parks is set to make the 11th start of his career. He has registered two of his best finishes in three spring events, including a career-low score of 215 at the Kiawah Invitational. Parks also has generated his two lowest career rounds this spring with a 68 at the Kiawah and a 70 at the Schenkel Invitational last week.
Freshman Hugo Archer will compete as an individual for the second straight tournament. Archer tied his career-low round with a 74 in the final day of competition at the Schenkel Invitational.
The Tournament
The three-day, 54-hole event will be held Sunday-Tuesday at the Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, South Carolina.
The 16-team field consists of No. 7 Auburn, College of Charleston, Duke, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kent State, Kentucky, Marquette, Missouri, No. 18 NC State, Purdue, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wichita State and Wisconsin.
Live scoring will be provided by birdiefire.com.
The Course
This 7,220-yard course, just minutes from Charleston, is stimulating and offers two par fives that are more than 600 yards long. This tournament annually features some of the best collegiate programs in the nation. It lies along the tidal salt marshes to the north of Charleston and is known for its bold and somewhat idiosyncratic style. Taking into account the ever-changing coastal wind conditions, fairways are wide and green sites generously proportioned to offer the players a wide variety of approach play.
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