LEXINGTON, Ky. – Through 36 holes of golf, the Kentucky men’s golf team sits on top of the leaderboard after roaring to a nine stroke buffer in the second annual UK Bluegrass Invitational. Kentucky native, Ben Fuqua leads the field with a 1-under par on the Wildcat’s home course.
Kentucky sat in second place separated by one stroke from first place after the initial 18 holes played Saturday. But before the day was over the Wildcats blasted their home track to take a commanding lead heading into Sunday’s final round. All five UK starters finished the day ranked in the top 25.
With solid iron play and clutch putting, Fuqua was able to follow up on his even-par first round to drop a stroke over the next 18 holes to take a share as the No. 1 golfer among the 17-team field.
“The weather warmed up throughout the day and I was feeling good,” Fuqua said. “It is always exciting to be on your home course and I wanted to play well in front of my family and for my team.”
Andy Winings, a senior, was red hot in the second round improving by 11 strokes after his round to shoot a 5-under par 68 in the second round. Winings is tied for seventh.
Tied for 10th, sophomore James Kania is 4-over par after shooting a 76 and a 72. In dramatic fashion, Kania highlighted the second round with his chip in for birdie from a tough downhill lie on the backside of the 16th green.
Rounding out the scoring for the starting five is Mads Kristensen with a 6-over par and Jordan Blann who is tied for the 25th spot.
Kentucky returns to the University Club at 9 a.m. for the final 18 holes of the UK Bluegrass Invitational.
In last year’s inaugural UK Bluegrass Invite, the Wildcats finished fourth, powered by Andy Winings’ seven-over par, three-round total of 223. Competing as an individual, then-sophomore Brian Belden finished tied for first after 54 holes with Western Kentucky’s Brent Long before falling in the one-hole playoff.
The teams will compete on the Big Blue Course at the University Club, a 7,018-yard, par-72 track that was designed by internationally renowned golf course architect Arthur Hills. The University Club is complemented by a dozen lakes and ponds, providing players with a beautiful and challenging round of golf. It is UK’s seventh season on the course.
Final scoring can be found on golfstat.com throughout the tournament and a recap of each day’s action can be found on UKathletics.com following the conclusion of play. The tournament is open to the public and admission is free. Fans are encouraged to keep the cell phones off during tournament play and to wear traditional golf attire.
