April 6, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off an impressive fourth-place team finish at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate that saw freshman David Snyder finish in a tie for second overall, the Kentucky men’s golf team will head to Tampa, Fla., for the Gary Koch Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

The two-day, 54-hole tournament played at Old Memorial Golf Club (par 72, 7,389 yards) is the final tournament of the regular season for Kentucky. As a team, the Wildcats have finished in the top five in two of their four tournaments this spring, and have finished in the top 10 in all of them.

Kentucky will start Snyder, along with sophomore Cody Martin, junior Joseph Barr, junior Chase Parker and sophomore Stephen Powers. Junior Seth Blann will compete this weekend as an individual.

“The Gary Koch Invitational is our home away from home event,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “We are fortunate to be able to host this event at one of the finest courses in Florida, owned by a UK alumnus. Old Memorial Golf Club should be playing firm and fast and will be a challenging test for this year’s field. Our team is ready to play and see if we can keep building on our momentum from this spring semester.”

Competing in the star-studded 15-team field alongside Kentucky and No. 3 Auburn, is No. 2 Alabama, College of Charleston, No. 23 Florida, No. 24 Florida State, No. 10 Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, No. 15 North Florida, Pacific, South Florida, Toledo, UNC-Greensboro, No. 22 Virginia and Wake Forest. All rankings are according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

The tournament will begin with 18 holes Saturday beginning between 7:35 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. The players will then begin their second rounds once they finish play with their opening 18 holes. The third round will begin Sunday between 7:45 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. All times are eastern.

Snyder, a freshman from Somerset, Ky., has been playing stellar golf of late. Of the 17 rounds he has played on the team, 15.5 of Snyder’s rounds have counted toward the team score. His 91 percent rate is tops on the team. Snyder has recorded eight rounds of even- or under-par this year, and has three top-20 finishes in eight tournaments played, including his second-place finish last week in Awendaw, S.C.

Martin holds a team-best scoring average of 72.85. Of the 27 rounds he has played, 22 have gone toward the team score. Martin has recorded a dozen rounds of even-par or better this season and has finished in the top-20 in six of the 10 tournaments he has played, including three top-five finishes.

This will be the seventh appearance in the Gary Koch Invitational in the Brian Craig Era. Typically played during the fall season, the Gary Koch Invitational will now serve as the final tune up before many teams’ respective conference tournaments. The Wildcats finished 11th at the Gary Koch last year, their second tournament of the year, with a final score of 894 (+30). Virginia won the event by nine strokes with a final score of 849 (-15). Parker finished tied for 31st with a 6-over-par, 222. Blann tied for 44th, while Barr tied for 57th and Martin finished 62nd. Nine teams from last year’s field are competing in this year’s tournament.

UK won the tournament in October 2004, and finished second one year later. Kentucky also finished in a tie for second in 2002.

Live results from the tournament can be accessed at Golfstat.com.

For more news and information on the Kentucky men’s golf team, including daily recaps and results from the Gary Koch Invitational, follow the Wildcats on Twitter at “UKMensGolf” and go to UKathletics.com.

Gary Koch Invitational

Old Memorial Golf Club

Par 72 – 7,389 yards

Lineup

David Snyder

Cody Martin

Joseph Barr

Chase Parker

Stephen Powers

* Seth Blann