The Kentucky men?s golf team is headed to the 2004 Division I Men?s Golf Championships riding a wave of momentum. On Saturday, UK claimed its first NCAA Central Region title besting then No. 8-ranked Oklahoma State by an impressive 11 strokes. Three Cats finished in the top-10 of the event, including tournament champion John Holmes, Brandon Waldrop (T3rd-place) and Matt Wells (T8th-place).
On Monday, the NCAA granted the Cats the No. 2 seed, the highest in school history, in the men?s golf championships, which will take place June 1-4 at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Va. Kentucky received another first on Tuesday when GolfStat released its weekly ratings. UK jumped 13 spots from No. 22 to No. 9 in the nation, marking the first time the Cats have cracked the top-10 rankings in men?s golf.
?I?m a little shocked that one win moved us up that high,? Coach Brian Craig said. ?But again, that is a great testament to our team and how special of a week it was. All the credit goes to them. For them to establish that legacy here of creating expectations and standards like this is pretty special. It will be a memory of a lifetime for this group of guys.?
The Cats are poised to make a run at what would be another first, an NCAA title, next week against 29 of the best collegiate golf programs in the country.
?Our confidence level is very high after winning the Central Region Championship,? Craig said. ?I was really excited at Purdue. It seemed like the guys had a sharper focus with more energy and effort about what they were doing so hopefully we can carry that over to The Homestead.?
Three of the Cats? five player lineup has experience playing in the NCAA Championships as opposed to none last season. Kentucky finished 26th in the tournament a year ago and failed to qualify for the final round of competition, as only the top-15 teams after 54 holes advance.
?Last year was a new experience for us,? Craig said. ?This year, the guys have been there and they know what it is like. They?ll be more comfortable and they learned a lot from last year?s championship. I hope that experience will pay dividends for us this week.?
Andrew Stephens Advances in U.S. Open Qualifier
Redshirt freshman Andrew Stephens finished in the top-10 in the U.S. Open Local Qualifier for the second year in a row, Monday. Stephens, a Ft. Mitchell, Ky., native, fired a 71 to finish tied for third overall in the event, which was held at the Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.
?This is a terrific accomplishment for Andrew,? Craig said. ?He has improved his game tremendously in the past year and I?m very proud of him.?
Stephens will move onto the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifier, which is set to take place June 7 at the Brookside Golf and Country Course in Columbus, Ohio.
