The University of Kentucky men?s golf team will attempt to defend its Southeastern Conference title this weekend, Apr. 21-23, as the Wildcats travel to the conference championship. The three-day event will take place at the par-70 Sea Island Golf Club?s Seaside Course in Sea Island, Ga.
The Wildcats were idle last weekend after claiming their first tournament title of the spring season in their last outing, Apr.7-8, at the Courtyard by Marriott Intercollegiate. The Cats finished with a 10-under par 854 at the tournament in Raleigh, N.C., and defeated second-place Duke by four strokes to take home the title.
The Wildcats are ranked 23rd in the latest poll of the Golf Coaches Association and will face elite competition this weekend. Fellow ranked SEC schools include No. 1 Georgia, No. 3 Florida, No. 20 Tennessee and No. 24 South Carolina.
Representing UK this weekend will be senior Matt Kohn, junior Tyler Wilson, sophomore Brad Doster and freshmen Dan Woltman and Andy Winings.
Kohn is the only player returning from last year?s championship squad. In the 2005 tournament, the Longwood, Fla., native finished fourth with a score of 217 after firing a one-under par 69 in the third and final round. Kohn has a 73.63 stroke average this season and won the medalist title at the Gary Koch Intercollegiate with the help of a career-low 65 in the third round.
Newcomers Doster, Winings and Woltman are the only three Cats to play in all nine tournaments this season. Doster leads the Cats with four top 10 finishes this season and a 73.11 stroke average. The Winter Park, Fla., native has finished in the top 10 in three of his last four tournaments. Winings also has four top 10s and has posted a 73.63 stroke average in his first season with the Cats. Woltman owns a 73.22 stroke average and two top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the Gary Koch Intercollegiate. Wilson has played in seven tournaments this season and had his best finish with a 16th-place tie at the Hyatt Plantation Club Intercollegiate in March.
?We are looking forward to the challenge of defending our SEC Championship this weekend at Sea Island,? said head coach Brian Craig. ?The guys seem to be peaking at the right time and it?s nice that we are coming off our first win of the season. This particular team does not have much experience on the Seaside Course, but we do have plenty of talent and courage and I expect us to play our best.?
