Oct. 17, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off three-straight top-five team finishes, the University of Kentucky men’s golf team is heading to Duluth, Ga., to compete in the inaugural AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at the Berkeley Hills Country Club (par 72, 6,694 yards) on Oct. 17-18.

Hosted by Georgia State University, the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic will be a two-day, 54-hole tournament, with 36 holes played Monday and the final 18 holes played Tuesday. Monday will begin with a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. ET. Tuesday’s final round will begin at 8:00 a.m. on the first and 10th tee with new pairings going off every nine minutes.

Craig will send sophomore Cody Martin, juniors Chase Parker and Joseph Barr, sophomore Stephen Powers and freshman David Snyder to represent Kentucky’s team score. Freshman Will Bishop will compete in Duluth as an individual.

Parker and Martin will tee off, respectively, from the 12th box Monday morning. Barr will begin his round on No. 13, while Powers will begin on No. 14 and Snyder on No. 15. Bishop will tee off from No. 17 along with Georgia State and Kennesaw State individuals.

The Wildcats will be competing against 11 other teams this week in hopes of winning the first-year tournament. In addition to Kentucky and host-school Georgia State, the tournament field includes Chattanooga, East Carolina, Furman, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Minnesota, UNC-Greensboro, North Florida, Virginia Commonwealth and Wofford. Kennesaw State will be sending three individuals, but will not compete as a team.

Kentucky was led at the Bearcat Invitational last week by Parker and Barr, who each finished in a tie for third at even-par. Barr got off to a red-hot start at the Traditions Golf Club in Hebron, Ky., carding a collegiate-best round of 66 to open play. Parker played solid golf throughout the tournament, beginning with a 1-over par 72, before recording a 2-under par 69 in the second round and another 1-over par 72 to finish at 213, his lowest 54-hole total of the season.

For more news and information on the Kentucky men’s golf team, including results from the AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic, go to UKAthletics.com.