Feb. 22, 2015
LEXINGTON Ky. – For the sixth-consecutive season the Kentucky men’s golf team will open spring competition at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate tournament in Mobile, Ala., hosted by South Alabama beginning with two rounds on Monday. The Wildcats will send 10 players to the tournament with five competing as individuals.
“Our team’s track record is improved performance in the spring semester,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “I am excited to get started and see how much progress we can make. We have our work cut out for us, but the future is bright for this young group. I certainly hope that it will be this semester, but I know it is coming soon either way. We need to keep working hard and getting these guys experience and watch them grow.”
UK finished in the top 10 in each of its four fall events capped by a sixth place finish at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational in October. Freshman Tyler `Chip’ McDaniel earned his first career victory at the event as he fired an 11-under par 223 to lead the way for the Wildcats.
McDaniel finished the fall as UK’s leader averaging 72.8 strokes in 12 rounds of action. He will headline the Kentucky lineup in this week’s event and is joined by junior David Snyder, freshman Cooper Musselman, senior Will Bishop and junior Todd McDaniel.
Snyder ranks second for the Wildcats with a 73.3 stroke average which includes a fourth place finish at the Wolf Run Invitational in the fall. Musselman led the Wildcats in scoring with a 14th-place finish in the team’s opening fall event at the Invitational at The Ocean Course. Bishop and Todd McDaniel both competed in three fall tournaments for the Wildcats.
Play will get underway at the par-72, 7,160-yard Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course at 7:30 a.m. (EST) Monday with a shotgun start to the first two rounds, with the final 18 holes beginning from the first and 10th tees Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com throughout the course of action.
In addition to the Wildcats, other schools competing include Auburn, Belmont, Davidson, Illinois State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi, Texas State and Western Kentucky.
“We have started the spring at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate for a number of years now,” Craig said. “The course is solid and the dates work perfectly for us. February can be challenging for us to prepare, but with our new Golf House we can get it done. I can’t tell you how fortunate we are to have that state-of-the-art training facility. Now, it’s time to play and keep growing this team.”
In addition to UK’s squad of five players, five more will compete as individuals. Freshman Christian DiMarco, junior Harrison Greenberry, sophomore Stephen Stallings, sophomore Hager Collins and freshman Chris Meuth will all compete this week.
It will mark the first competition of the season for DiMarco, Collins and Meuth. Greenberry and Stallings both competed in three events in the fall.
For more information on the University of Kentucky men’s golf team please visit UKathletics.com and follow us on Twitter @UKmensgolf.
Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf CourseMobile, Ala. Feb. 23-24Par: 72Yardage: 7,212UK Lineup:1. Tyler `Chip’ McDaniel2. David Snyder3. Cooper Musselman4. Will Bishop5. Todd McDaniel
UK Individuals:1. Christian DiMarco2. Harrison Greenberry3. Stephen Stallings4. Hager Collins5. Chris Meuth
