Oct. 12, 2008
Building off a red-hot fall start, Kentucky faces sixteen outstanding college men’s golf teams, including 10 ranked in the top 50 by Golfweek, on Monday and Tuesday in The Prestige at PGA WEST at the Greg Norman Golf Course.
“This is a terrific event with a solid field that is contested on an excellent venue,” Coach Brian Craig said. “We have a slightly different lineup here this week, which I am excited to see compete.”
Golfweek’s ninth-ranked player senior Ben Fuqua looks to lead Kentucky with a team-leading 70.0 stroke average this year.
Washington, currently the No. 4 squad in the country according to Golfweek, headlines a field which also includes No. 12 Stanford, No. 17 Michigan State, No. 21 California, No. 25 Pepperdine, No. 28 Michigan, No. 30 Colorado, No. 40 UC Davis, No. 42 Kentucky, and No. 49 Central Florida. Northwestern, ranked 58th, No. 61 TCU, No. 97 Pacific, No. 110 Notre Dame and No. 117 Rice round out the deep tournament field.
The 54-hole tournament will be contested at the par-72, 7,156-yard Greg Norman Course. Teams will open play at 7:30 a.m. with a 36-hole shotgun start on Monday, followed by 18 holes on Tuesday, also beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The tournament also features Florida Southern, the top-ranked NCAA Division II team in the country.
Live scoring for The Prestige at PGA WEST will be available through www.ukathletics.com or www.golfstat.com.
STARTERS
Senior Ben Fuqua (Danville, Ky.), Third appearance of fall 2008, 70.0 stroke average. Top performance this fall came with his first-place finish in the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate. SEC Golfer of the month in September.
Senior Andy Winings (Brownsburg, Ind.), Third appearance of fall 2008, 71.16 stroke average. Top finish this fall came at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate when he tied for second.
Freshman Mads Kristensen (Denmark), Second appearance of fall 2008, played one as individual, 75.16 stroke average. Top finish this fall came at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate when he tied for 35th.
Junior Jordan Blann (Bowling Green, Ky.), First team appearance of fall 2008, 75.00 stroke average. Top finish this fall came at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate when he tied for 65th.
Junior Derek Oldham (Lexington, Ky.), First appearance this season for Kentucky. He was called on seven times in the fall and spring in the 2007-08 season to represent the Wildcats. Oldham’s best three-round tournament score, as a Wildcat, came in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational where he finished with a 221 and shot a career-low 69.
LAST TIME OUT
Led by senior Ben Fuqua’s (Danville, Ky.) six-under-par 65, the Kentucky Men’s golf team took home a second-place finish in the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate. It marked the second consecutive top-five finish for Kentucky this fall season. The Wildcats fired a (285-283-279) giving way to a five-under-par performance in the tournament. Tying his career record, set in the second round, Fuqua shot another 65 after draining five birdies on the front-nine holes. His final score, 15-under-par, paced him seven strokes ahead of his nearest competitor. For the tournament Fuqua carded 20 birdies and 29 pars. He set a school-record for the lowest three rounds ever by a Wildcat in a three-round tournament. Fuqua’s stellar performance led to him being chosen as the Southeastern Conference’s male golfer of the month for September.
The Prestige at PGA West HISTORY
Charlotte captured the tournament title last year after shooting a ten-under-par 854. The individual champion last year was Dam Woltman from the University of Wisconsin. He shot 70-69-69 for eight-under par. This year marks Kentucky’s first appearance in the Prestige at PGA West.
