HOT SPRINGS, Va. ? The Kentucky men?s golf team served notice that its NCAA Central Region championship was no fluke as it played a stellar first round of the 2004 NCAA Division I Men?s Championships. The Cats shot a 283 on day one and sit tied for fourth with Auburn after the first 18 holes. Junior Matt Wells was UK?s top performer of the day with a two-under par 68 and is tied for sixth as an individual.
?We played a solid round in some adverse conditions,? Coach Brian Craig said. ?This is a long tournament and we are right where we need to be at this point.?
Wells got off to a strong start with three birdies in his first nine holes and made the turn at two-under par. He continued his steady play on the back nine and returned to the clubhouse tied for sixth place as one of 19 players under par on the day.
?I was pretty nervous on the first tee,? Wells said. ?But, I?ve always been a better player when I?m nervous on the first tee. We all realize that we can win this thing and winning the Central Region Championship gave us a huge boost of confidence. Everyone is playing really well right now.?
Juniors Mark Blakefield and John Holmes posted a pair of one-over par 71 scores and Brandon Waldrop tallied a 73 through the first 18 holes. Sophomore Tyler Wilson rounded out UK?s lineup with an 82.
California claimed the early lead with a one-under par 279 total with BYU (280) and TCU (281) finishing second and third, respectively. Jeff Hood (California) fired a five-under par 65 to take the early individual lead with Kevin Kisner (Georgia) and Adam Meyer (TCU) not far behind with a pair of 66 scores.
UK teed off the day at noon with clear skies and great playing conditions. However, an hour after Kentucky was on the course, a light rain shower passed through and the winds picked up for the remainder of the afternoon.
?This team is used to playing in the wind and pretty skilled at it,? Craig said. I don?t ever mind having the wind blow a little.?
Kentucky is set to tee off Wednesday at 7 a.m. The local forecast is calling for temperatures in the low 70?s with a 40 percent chance of rain.
