March 24, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s golf team has just passed the midway point of its spring season, and will now head south to Awendaw, S.C., to compete in the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate from March 25-27. The tournament, which Kentucky has played in each of the last seven years, will be held at Bulls Bay Golf Club (par 72, 7,282 yards).
Kentucky is joined in the 15-team field by host school College of Charleston, as well as Auburn, Augusta State, LSU, Maryland, Ole Miss, North Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Virginia, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Wofford College.
“The ‘Hootie’ is one of our favorite tournaments of the year,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “Bulls Bay Golf Club is very unique, the field is always strong and the event is run in a first-class manner. We have been making progress all spring and this is another chance for us to get better. The outlook is bright with the young talent we have on this team and I can’t wait for it to all come together. We just need to keep focusing on what we can control and stay patient.”
Kentucky will go with sophomore Cody Martin at the No. 1 position, followed by junior Chase Parker, freshman David Snyder, junior Joseph Barr and sophomore Stephen Powers.
The tournament will begin with 18 holes Sunday at 10:00 a.m. ET. Round two will begin Monday and the tournament will conclude with the third round on Tuesday. Powers will begin play for the Cats off the 10th tee. Barr, Snyder, Parker and Martin will follow, respectively, in 10-minute intervals also off the 10th tee.
Parker will be looking to continue his hot play of late. The Augusta, Ga., native is 7-under-par in his last seven rounds dating back to the third round of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on Feb. 21. In those seven rounds, Parker has two rounds of 67, a top-five finish and a top-25 finish.
Martin led UK last week with a 1-under-par performance that put him in a tie for 21st. The sophomore from Union, Ky., has a team-best season scoring average of 72.92. Martin has also put together a team-leading 10 rounds of even or under par, and has registered five top-20 finishes, including three top-five finishes.
Fans wishing to follow along with results as they come into the clubhouse can access live results at Golfstat.com.
Kentucky finished 14th in the Hootie last year with a team score of 884 (+32). Martin was Kentucky’s low scorer, finishing in a tie for 24th at 3-over par. Martin’s second round 3-under-par 68 was his best round of the year. LSU has won the even the past two years. The Tigers carded a team score of 849 (-3) in 2011.
The tournament draws its name from the band Hootie & the Blowfish and each year enjoys the support of Charleston native, Darius Rucker.
For more news and information on the Kentucky men’s golf team, including daily recaps and results from the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, follow the Wildcats on Twitter at “UKMensGolf” and go to UKathletics.com.
Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate
Bulls Bay Golf Club
Par 72 – 7,282 yards
Kentucky Lineup
Cody Martin
Chase Parker
David Snyder
Joseph Barr
Stephen Powers
