WINDMERE, Fla. ?The University of Kentucky men?s golf team finished eighth at the Isleworth Invitational in Windmere, Fla. The Wildcats finished behind tournament champion Georgia, which is ranked first nationally.

?We had a tough finish to a decent outing,? UK head coach Brian Craig said. ?This is one of the most competitive fields of the fall and these are the teams that we have to beat to win the NCAA. We are going to use this tournament as motivation to improve so that, when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, we are ready to compete for what our single focus is this season, the NCAA title.?

Seniors Mark Blakefield and John Holmes led the Cats, both finishing tied for 18th at 4-over-par.

?Mark?s score did not reflect how he played today. There were a couple holes that jumped up and got him,? said Craig. ?The course played a lot harder today, the greens were firm and fast.?

Sophomore, Andrew Stephens moved up six places on the leader board to finish T-28th shooting 225 (77-74-74). Cale Barr and Matt Wells rounded out the Kentucky five.

?I am very proud of Andrew, he battled back on the back nine to birdie a couple of holes,? said Craig. ?He handled himself great and has shown a lot of improvement.?

Oklahoma State?s Pablo Martin and Georgia?s Chris Kirk both finished tied atop the leader board at 7-under-par. Fifth-ranked Oklahoma State and third-ranked Georgia Tech finished second and third, respectively behind Georgia for the team title.

Kentucky heads to the final stop on the fall tour Nov. 14-16 at the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship in Howie-in-the-Hills, Fla. Kentucky will compete against 14 of the top 15 finishers at the 2004 NCAA Championships.

-UK-