Aug. 31, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 1 ranked European golfer for ages 21 and under, Ben Stow, has been added to the University of Kentucky’s men’s golf team, head coach Brian Craig announced on Friday.

Stow will be a junior academically and is eligible to participate for the Wildcats in the spring. The Salisbury, England native joins freshmen European Harrison Greenberry and Hager Collins as the third member of the 2012-13 recruiting class.

“I could not be more excited to have Ben join the Kentucky golf family,” Craig said. “Ben is a tremendous talent who has a very impressive amateur record in Europe. Simply put, he is already an elite amateur and we are thrilled to have him.

“We had to overcome quite a few obstacles in getting Ben to Kentucky but it will all be worth it when he can start competing for us in the spring. I look for him to make an immediate impact on our team’s success and I can’t wait to start coaching him”

In July, Stow led England to the European Challenge Trophy Tournament with a team score of 11 under par. Stow led the team and finished the 72-hole competition as the individual champion at nine under par, five strokes ahead of second place.

Over the summer months, Stow competed in seven stroke play matches where he finished in the top-20 and in every event, including four top-10 finishes. Most recently, Stow competed in the prestigious 2012 International European Amateur Championship where he carded a four-round score of 283, finishing eighth in the field.

Stow, a member of the Rushmore Golf Club, won the “Grand Slam” of the Wiltshire County Golf Union with titles at the Colts, County and Junior Championships in 2008 and 2009.

The Wildcats begin their fall season on Sept. 15 at the Wolf Run Invitational in Zionsville, Ind. Kentucky charted five top-10 finishes in 2011, including its team victory at the UK Bluegrass Fall Invitational.