The University of Kentucky men?s golf team opened the spring season with a 14th place finish at the SunTrust Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. Host team Florida took the overall team title with a three-round total of 858 (287-291-280).

?I felt that we were a little rusty coming out of the winter, but we were quite a bit more than I thought,? said head coach Brian Craig. ?We have a lot of work to do to get ready for the Mercedez Benz, but I think the talent level is definitely there with this team. Now we?ll find out what the resolve of this team is once we get back to practice this week. We have a lot of work to do, but this is a good challenge for our team and I think they?ll respond.?

The Wildcats finished with a team total of 908 (294-310-304) during the two-day event. Wake Forest placed second with a score of 866, followed by Florida State in third with a total of 868. South Carolina and UCF wrapped up the top five with scores of 869 and 876, respectively.

John Holmes led the way for the Cats as he tied for 21st with a score of 219 (74-73-72). Sophomore Cale Barr also tied for 21st but played the tournament as an individual. Senior Brandon Waldrop finished with a two-day total of 228 (74-78-76), while Andrew Stephens ended with a score of 232 (74-81-77). Senior Mark Blakefield and Matt Kohn wrapped up the scoring for UK, finishing with scores of 233 (76-78-69) and 241 (72-85-84), respectively.

The Wildcats return to action Feb. 20-22 at the Mercedez Benz Collegiate Championship in Jacksonville, Fla.