LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The No. 21 Kentucky men?s golf team struggled to find its stroke in the final round of the 18th annual Johnny Owens Invitational, but still managed to finish second in the event, which took place at the University Club of Kentucky. The Wildcats posted a final round 295 to finish with an 889 (305-289-295) total. Eastern Kentucky University claimed team honors by scoring an 871 (294-285-292) behind tournament champion, Brandon Brown, who finished with a six-under-par 210 (71-68-71).
?We played below average and we weren?t very sharp the entire tournament,? Kentucky coach Brian Craig said. ?We started today strong, but couldn?t hold up coming down the backstretch. EKU played a great tournament and they have a very strong team.?
Kentucky now has five runner-up finishes (?90, ?93, ?94, ?02, ?04) in the Johnny Owens Invitational to go along with three wins (?87, ?88, ?89). Louisiana-Monroe (308-300-296=904), Iowa State (307-296-303=906) and Missouri (304-300-305=909) rounded out the top-five teams in the 12-team field.
Junior John Holmes finished as Kentucky?s top performer in the tournament with a fourth-place finish. Holmes entered the final round four strokes behind Brown for the lead and was unable to keep pace. While Brown fired a one-under-par 71 in the third round, Holmes struggled and posted a five-over-par 77. The Campbellsville, Ky., native finished with a 54-hole 220 (75-68-77), which is his worst outing of the season. However, despite a sub-par performance, Holmes recorded his eighth top-10 finish in nine tournaments this school year.
?It is frustrating when you don?t perform up to your highest level,? Craig said. ?We just have to bounce back from this. You have to be resilient or you aren?t going to be successful in any sport, especially golf.?
Fellow junior Brandon Waldrop joined Holmes in the top-10 with a 222 (75-73-74) eighth-place finish. Waldrop was the Wildcats? most consistent player throughout the tournament. The Louisville native scored a season-low 54-hole total in the tournament and recorded his highest finish of the season as well. Junior Matt Wells scored a 223 (77-74-72), which ties his season-low, to finish 11th and one stroke ahead of teammate sophomore Matt Kohn who turned in a 224 (78-74-72) and 12th-place finish.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Stephens (77-77-71=225) competed for the first time this season and finished tied with sophomore Tyler Wilson (73-75-77=225) for 13th-place. Both Stephens and Wilson competed as individuals in the tournament.
UK returns to the links next weekend at the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. The tournament will be Kentucky?s final regular-season outing before the SEC Championships, April 16-18, in Sea Island, Ga.
?The Boilermaker Invitational is a real good tournament,? Craig said. ?It is the site of the regional championships this year and there should be some good competition. It will be a test for us to see where we are in preparation for regionals.?
Kentucky Scores
T-4 John Holmes 75-68-77 220
T-8 Brandon Waldrop 75-73-74 222
11 Matt Wells 77-74-72 223
12 Matt Kohn 78-74-72 224
T-13 *Andrew Stephens 77-77-71 225
T-13 *Tyler Wilson 73-75-77 225
T-27 *Mark Erlewine 81-75-74 230
T-35 Mark Blakefield 81-75-77 233
T-53 *Cale Barr 80-76-83 239
55 Jack Hudson 81-80-79 240
