June 30, 2012
A hole-in-one at the Old Course at St. Andrews. It’s a dream for many golfers around the world – and it’s a reality for Kentucky rising senior Seth Blann.
Blann hit the hole-in-one on the par-3 No. 8 at Saint Andrews, highlighting a huge comeback day for the White Team at the West of Scotland Blue-White Cup matches that ended 4-4 after two days of play. Blann’s partner, Todd McDaniel, also provided heroics when he birdied the famous 17th Road Hole to clinch the victory over Chase Parker and Matthew Anderson.
The Blue Team’s 3-1 day one lead evaporated quickly. UK head coach Brian Craig and partner Tim Philpot took an early point at St. Andrews with a 4-and-3 win over UK assistant coach Jessie Mudd and Cameron Mills in the early morning breezes of the Old Course. Craig was 2-under-par after 12 holes, and Philpot birdied No. 13 to put too much pressure on the athletic duo of Mudd and Mills.
David Snyder and Will Bishop escaped with the Blue Team’s only win of day two. Snyder and Bishop got the victory over Cody Martin and Mads Kristensen when Bishop birdied the famous 17th to tie the match. Snyder then hit his drive dead-right on the 18th before a fortuitous bounce that ended with the ball eight-feet from the hole.
The White Team’s comeback was complete when Joseph Barr, who shot 70 at Kingsbarns, partnered with John Powers for the upset over his brother Cale Barr and UK rising junior Stephen Powers, who also sparkled with a 70 to match Barr. The victory was sweet revenge for their day one loss at the Old Course, where Powers led the Blue Team with a solid 70.
Kingsbarns proved a difficult test on day one as Kristensen’s 75 was medalist on a windy and rainy day. Kristensen led Craig to a solid 2-up win over Mudd and Parker.
Bishop and Anderson took out McDaniel and Philpot 2-and-1 in a bogey-filled match, while the Somerset duo of Mills and Snyder was too good for Martin and Blann. Mill’s 41 on the front nine was magnificent when combined with his 13 handicap.
“In case anyone asks, I shot 41 on the front”, Mills said at a press conference following the round convened in the bar at Kingsbarns. “I putt nicely and actually was only 3-over headed up the ninth. I feel good about my game right now.”
Day 3 will pit the eight-man teams into eight singles matches at the demanding Carnoustie Links.
Pairings for the crucial singles matches include:
Jessie Mudd (Blue Team) vs. Brian Craig (White Team)
David Snyder (Blue Team) vs. Joseph Barr (White Team)
Cameron Mills (Blue Team) vs. John Powers (White Team)
Chase Parker (Blue Team) vs. Todd McDaniel (White Team)
Will Bishop (Blue Team) vs. Mads Kristensen (White Team)
Matthew Anderson (Blue Team) vs. Cody Martin (White Team)
Cale Barr (Blue Team) vs. Tim Philpot (White Team)
Stephen Powers (Blue Team) vs. Seth Blann (White Team)
June 26, 2012
Royal Troon was the site of round one of the 2012 “Scotland Cup” Blue-White matches.
The Blue Team, led by UK assistant coach Jessie Mudd, overcame a 3-0 deficit to take a 6.5-5.5 lead after the first day of competition. The duo of Joseph Barr and Todd McDaniel got the White Team off to a fast start with a 3-0 win over UK rising sophomore David Snyder and former UK golfer Cale Barr.
Leading the way for the Blue squad was Will Bishop with a 65. Partnering with Chase Parker, Bishop upset UK head coach Brian Craig and rising junior Cody Martin by a 2-1 count, making an historical 2-2 on the par 4 No. 7 and Postage Stamp No. 8 hole. Craig and Martin won the back nine to save a point.
UK Rising junior Stephen Powers and Cameron Mills overwhelmed John Powers and Mads Kristensen 2.5 to 0.5.
As expected, Mudd teamed with Kentucky rising junior Matthew Anderson to slide past UK rising senior Seth Blann and captain Tim Philpot 2-1. Blann’s birdie on the ninth hole gave the White Team a crucial point for the front nine.
Day two will see two more matches, with Western Gailes at 10:00 a.m. and Turnberry at 5:00 p.m.
June 28, 2012
The home of the inaugural Open Championship saw a rout Thursday afternoon, as the West of Scotland Blue-White matches ended with the Blue Team winning 11.5 out of a possible 12 points. The matches were played on a breezy morning at Old Prestwick, which hosted The Open Championship in 1860.
The four-round match was essentially over Wednesday afternoon after UK rising senior Chase Parker’s 65 led the Blue Team at Turnberry to an insurmountable lead. UK assistant coach Jessie Mudd shot a bogey-free 67 in the rain to recover the match that seemed all but lost. Behind Parker and Mudd, the Blue Team won 11.5-0.5 in a heavy Scottish rain at 10:00 p.m. local time.
Rising sophomore David Snyder led Blue in the Wednesday morning round at Western Gailes with a 69, as the Blue Team garnered 7.5 out of a possible 12 points.
A bright spot for the White Team on Thursday was Seth Blann’s 70 at Old Prestwick as Blann and UK head coach Brian Craig took six points for the White Team.
The team now moves on to St. Andrews for a rematch in the East of Scotland Blue-White matches.
Match one and two Friday and Saturday will be at Kingsbarns and The Old Course at St. Andrews, before moving to Carnoustie for the singles finals on Sunday afternoon.
Friday’s matches will be:
Blue Team White Team
Stephen Powers and Cale Barr vs. John Powers and Joseph Barr
Cameron Mills and David Snyder vs. Seth Blann and Cody Martin
Chase Parker and Jessie Mudd vs. Brian Craig and Mads Kristensen
Matthew Anderson and Will Bishop vs. Todd McDaniel and Tim Philpot
“We feel good about our chances. I see no reason why we should not continue to dominate,” Mudd teased.
Kentucky rising sophomore Will Bishop shot a 65 at Troon, while Snyder carded a 69 at North Berwick. Parker fired a 65 at Turnberry, and Mudd came out of the mist and closed out his 67 under the Turnberry moon.
“Scotland Cup” Blue-White Scoreboard
Royal Troon
Match One
Cale Barr / David Snyder (Blue Team) – 0
Joseph Barr / Todd McDaniel (White Team) – 3
Match Two
Stephen Powers / Cameron Mills (Blue Team) – 2.5
John Powers / Mads Kristensen (White Team) – 0.5
Match Three
Will Bishop / Chase Parker (Blue Team) – 2
Brian Craig / Cody Martin (White Team) – 1
Match Four
Jessie Mudd / Matthew Anderson (Blue Team) – 2
Tom Philpot / Seth Blann (White Team) – 1
Score: Blue Team 6.5, White Team 5.5
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Western Gailes
Match Five
Chase Parker / Matthew Anderson (Blue Team) – 2.5
Tom Philpot / Joseph Barr (White Team) – 0.5
Match Six
Stephen Powers / David Snyder (Blue Team) – 2.5
Mads Kristensen / Seth Blann (White Team) – 0.5
Match Seven
Jessie Mudd / Cale Barr (Blue Team) – 1
Brian Craig / Todd McDaniel (White Team) – 2
Match Eight
Will Bishop / Cameron Mills (Blue Team) – 1.5
Cody Martin / John Powers (White Team) – 1.5
Score: Blue Team 14, White Team 10
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Turnberry
Match Nine
Chase Parker / David Snyder (Blue Team) – 3
Cody Martin / Tom Philpot (White Team) – 0
Match 10
Cale Barr / Stephen Powers (Blue Team) – 3
Todd McDaniel / Mads Kristensen (White Team) – 0
Match 11
Jessie Mudd / Will Bishop (Blue Team) – 2.5
Brian Craig / Joseph Barr (White Team) – 0.5
Match 12
Matthew Anderson / Cameron Mills (Blue Team) – 2.5
Seth Blann / John Powers (White Team) – 0
Score: Blue Team 25.5, White Team 10.5
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Old Prestwick
Match 13
Cale Barr / Will Bishop (Blue Team) – 4
Tom Philpot / Mads Kristensen (White Team) – 2
Match 14
Chase Parker / Stephen Powers (Blue Team) – 6
Cody Martin / Todd McDaniel (White Team) – 0
Match 15
Jessie Mudd / Cameron Mills (Blue Team) – 6
John Powers / Joseph Barr (White Team) – 0
Match 16
Matthew Anderson / David Snyder (Blue Team) – 0
Brian Craig / Seth Blann (White Team) – 6
Score: Blue Team 41.5, White Team 18.5
