Garrett Wood Leads Kentucky to Runner-Up Finish at Steelwood
LOXLEY, Ala. – Kentucky men’s golfer Garrett Wood put together a 7-under-par 65 to garner runner-up status on the individual leaderboard and lead the Wildcats to a team runner-up finish to close out play at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational on Sunday. Wood’s finish is his best in a Kentucky uniform and the lowest individual finish for any UK player this season. Kentucky’s team runner-up finish is the best for the Wildcats since winning four events during the 2017-18 season.
Wood’s final-round charge helped the Wildcats gain a lead into the clubhouse with several teams still on the course. UK led by as many as six shots but could not withstand a late Missouri charge. The Tigers combined to shoot 7-under par on the back nine to overtake the Wildcats.
Missouri concluded with a 17-under scorecard and UK closed the week out at 15-under. Kentucky charted back-to-back sub-par scores during the final two rounds and ascended the leaderboard by three positions on Sunday. The Wildcats bettered third-place finisher Memphis by two strokes.
Kentucky had a trio of players in the top 10. Wood earned runner-up status, while Alex Goff capped the weekend with a tie for eighth. Campbell Kremer secured his first career top-20 finish with a tie for 16th.
“Sometimes you finish second and are disappointed because you did not do your job,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “These guys did their job today, but Missouri was just a little better down the stretch. Great, great round by Garrett Wood. What an incredible performance by a tremendous young man. A big shout out to Campbell Kremer as well. He was clutch this week and especially down the stretch today. His birdie on the last hole was huge for us. Overall, this is a good way to finish off the fall season. There are big things in store for this team this spring.”
Wood captured his second straight round of 65 during a tournament’s third round of action with today’s score. That matches a career low. He’s now fired tournament scores of 205 (Old Town Collegiate) and 207 (Steelwood) in back-to-back events.
“I just wanted to do my best and be as positive as possible,” Wood said. “I knew the team had a good chance to finish high and I just wanted to help them and go as low as possible. I felt really comfortable out there and just enjoyed the walk.”
He opened play with back-to-back pars before starting a tremendous run. Wood’s first birdie came at the par-four third. A par on the fourth set the stage for an eagle at the par-four fifth followed by another birdie at the sixth. He then settled in with a par on the seventh before back-to-back birdies came at the eighth and ninth for an opening 30 (-6) on the front nine. The Mason, Ohio, native secured three straight pars before suffering his lone setback of the day at the 14th. All he did was rebound with consecutive birdies at the par-four 14th and the par-four 15th to move his score to 7-under par. He would play steady the rest of the way and finish with three straight pars.
Kremer had an up-and-down front nine with a couple of bogeys he offset with birdies at the third and fifth. The Louisville, Kentucky, native made the turn at even par. That’s when his round really took off. Kremer carded three straight birdies at the 10th, 11th and 12th holes. Two bogeys at the 13th and 16th were combated with a stylish birdie on the final hole for his 2-under 70.
It marks the first top-20 finish of Kremer’s career as he finished the weekend with back-to-back 2-under-par rounds to tie for 16th. The 213-tournament score is a career low and betters his previous mark by nine shots.
Goff hung on for his fifth career top-10 finish with the tie for eighth. He had rounds of 71-68-73 to finish at 4-under par for the tournament. After a couple of miscues within the first five holes, Goff steadied himself and played par over the final 13 holes.
Jacob Cook shot a 75 and finished in a tie for 32nd, while Zach Norris logged a round of 76 and tied for 47th.
Playing as an individual, Jay Kirchdorfer finished in 21st overall, just missing out on his second straight top-20 finish at this event. Kirchdorfer played at 1-under par during Sunday’s final round. He generated seven birdies on the afternoon to offset five miscues.
Hugo Archer finished the week in a tie for 71st. He had a round of 77 on Sunday.
The Steelwood Collegiate Invitational concluded the fall schedule for the Wildcats. UK will return to action at the Lake Las Vegas Intercollegiate Feb. 28-March 2.
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AGATE
2 – Kentucky (287, 279, 283 – 849, -15)
2 – Garrett Wood (70, 72, 65 – 207, -9)
T8 – Alex Goff (71, 68, 73 – 212, -4)
T16 – Campbell Kremer (73, 70, 70 – 213, -3)
T32 – Jacob Cook (73, 69, 75 – 217, +3)
T47 – Zach Norris (73, 73, 76 – 222, +6)
Individual
21 – Jay Kirchdorfer (72, 71, 71 – 214, -2)
T71 – Hugo Archer (78, 74, 77 – 229, +13)
