ST. SIMON?S ISLAND, Ga. ? Kentucky sophomore Matt Kohn shot career-low 4-under-par 66 in the final round of the 2004 Southeastern Conference Men?s Golf Championships to lead No. 26 UK to a fifth-place team finish. No. 4 Georgia claimed its 25th conference championship title and third in five years by edging No. 1 Florida by one stroke, 849-850. Brendon Todd led the Bulldogs to victory as he claimed the individual title with a 207 (66-72-69) on the Seaside Golf Course at the Sea Island Golf Club.
UK finished with a three-day 866 team total which is its lowest three round score in SEC Championships history. The Cats, who began the day trailing Tennessee by one stroke, outplayed the Volunteers down the stretch and posted a third round 286 to UT?s 289. Kentucky?s fifth-place showing was its best finish in the SEC Championships since 1986 when it finished fifth.
?We played reasonably well,? Coach Brian Craig said. ?I?m a little disappointed we didn?t play better, but we had a respectable finish and showed a lot of courage on the last nine wholes today.?
Kohn?s excellent play down the stretch fueled the Wildcat rally. The sophomore from Longwood, Fla., was Kentucky?s top performer as he finished fourth overall with a three-day 210 total (71-73-66), his lowest three-round total of the season. Junior Mark Blakefield was also solid down the stretch as he carded a par-70 in the third round to finish tied for 15th with a 215 (72-73-70). Junior All-American John Holmes struggled in the final round as he posted an uncharacteristic seven-over-par 77 to finish tied for 25th with a 219 (70-72-77). Juniors Brandon Waldrop and Matt Wells posted a pair of 75 scores in the final round to finish tied for 42nd.
?We got off to a poor start this morning, but Matt Kohn and Mark Blakefield showed a lot of competitiveness coming down the stretch to keep us in it,? Craig said. ?The effort was there, we just didn?t get our putts to fall this weekend. I think we are primed and ready for the post-season and hopefully we can make a good run of it.?
Kentucky has nearly a month to prepare for the 2004 Central Region Championships, which will take place in West Lafayette, Ind., May 20-22.
For complete results visit www.secsports.com. SEC-TV will air highlights of the conference tournament on Thursday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Kentucky Scores
4 Matt Kohn 71-73-66 210
T15 Mark Blakefield 72-73-70 215
T25 John Holmes 70-72-77 219
T42 Brandon Waldrop 74-75-75 224
T42 Matt Wells 74-75-75 224
Team Scores
1 Georgia 269-291-283 843
2 Florida 283-277-284 844
3 Auburn 281-284-294 859
4 Vanderbilt 295-288-281 864
5 Kentucky 287-293-286 866
6 Tennessee 283-296-289 868
7 South Carolina 294-281-294 869
8 Louisiana State 298-295-282 875
9 Arkansas 300-296-287 883
10 Mississippi State 297-302-288 887
11 Alabama 280-304-305 889
12 Ole Miss 302-294-306 902
Top-5 Individual Scores
1 Brendon Todd (UGA) 66-72-69 207
T2 Mark Donnell (Vandy) 70-71-67 208
T2 Matt Every (UF) 72-65-71 208
4 Matt Kohn (UK) 71-73-66 210
T5 David Denham (UGA) 66-75-70 211
T5 Alex Hamilton (SC) 71-68-72 211
T5 Camilo Villegas (UF) 70-72-69 211
