Junior Andy Winings (Brownsburg, Ind.) carded a three-round total of 217 (73-73-71) that included a hole-in-one to lead the Kentucky men?s golf team to an eighth place finish Sunday at the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational. The Wildcats finished with an 877 (294-289-294) over the three-day event hosted by Georgia Southern University at the Forest Heights Country Club.
?This was a huge step towards our post-season chances,? UK head coach Brian Craig said. ?Hopefully, we can build on this and improve as we get closer to the Southeastern Conference championship after finishing eighth in one of the toughest fields of the year.?
Winings fired a 71 tying his second lowest round of the spring for the third time on his final round of play. He finished the tournament in a tie for 18th place. On the final day, at the 109-yard par-three sixth hole, Winings pulled out his 54 degree sand-wedge and knocked his shot past the hole with a strong backspin to slide the ball in for his first collegiate career hole-in-one.
Alabama captured the event with an 849 (285-280-284), while other SEC foes finished in four of the next seven top-spots. The Crimson Tide claimed the tournament trophy by seven strokes over Florida. South Carolina?s George Bryan IV captured the individual crown after he fired a 208 for the tourney.
Senior Cale Barr (Versailles, Ky.) finished in a tie for 28th place with a 219 (74-73-72), while fellow third-year golfer Ben Fuqua (Danville, Ky.) finished in a tie for 33rd place with a 220 (73-73-74). Fuqua shot his lowest three-round total of the spring season.
Fuqua led the tournament in birdies, dropping in 15. He also finished third in par-five scoring, averaging 4.50 strokes, as well as knocking down one eagle on the final day of play.
Sophomore Brian Belden (Emmaus, Pa.) concluded tournament play in a tie for 40th place with a 221 (74-70-77) and senior Brad Doster (Winter Park, Fla.) finished in a tie for 83rd place with a 231 (77-76-78) to round out the tournament field for the Cats.
Kentucky returns to action March 27-28, when it travels to Awendaw, S.C., to compete in the fifth-annual Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate co-hosted by the College of Charleston, Clemson and South Carolina. The Wildcats will look to get their fifth top-10 finish of the spring season.
Individual Results
Andy Winings 73 73 71 217 T18
Ben Fuqua 73 73 74 220 T33
Cale Barr 74 73 72 219 T28
Brad Doster 77 76 78 231 T83
Brian Belden 74 70 77 221 T40
