Wildcats Set for Tiger Invitational at Grand National

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s golf team will return to the course on Sunday for the fourth-annual Tiger Invitational at the Grand National Lake Course in Auburn, Ala. Coming off a fourth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic, the Wildcats return to the Tiger Invitational after competing once before during the 2012-13 season.

The three-day, 54-hole event will begin on Sunday and conclude on Tuesday. The tournament is a par-72 consisting of 7,149 yards.  

About the lineup:

The starting lineup will feature senior David Snyder, junior Stephen Stallings, sophomores Tyler ‘Chip’ McDaniel and Cooper Musselman, and freshman Fred Allen Meyer. 

Highlighting UK’s lineup this week is McDaniel who led the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic. McDaniel leads the team with 10 par or better rounds this season. Both McDaniel and classmate Musselman tied for 11th, finishing their three days in Puerto Rico with matching 3-under, 231 overall scores, a career-best for Musselman. 

Meyer, who was dubbed the Co-Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week this week, had a career-day in the final round in Puerto Rico. After scoring a 2-over par, 74, on day two, Meyer followed it up with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday. Meyer charted four birdies and an eagle on the par-five 15th. He scored a 5-under par over his final 14 holes, moving up the leaderboard by 18 positions on day three.

Stallings tied his career-low with a round of 68 in Puerto Rico, finishing the tournament 27th overall, scoring an even-par, 78, round to finish the third day. Snyder finished with a tie for 39th, concluding the tournament with a 4-over, 74, overall.

Prior to the start of the spring season at the Puerto Rico Classic, the Wildcats saw many successes in the fall, clinching their first fall victory since 2011 in the Intercollegiate at The Grove. McDaniel led the team to a tie for third at the Ocean Course and a fifth place finish at the Dick’s Sport Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup. 

The Tournament Field:

The tournament field consists of No. 4 Auburn, along with its B-team, Georgia State, Jacksonville State, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southeast Louisiana, South Alabama, Troy, Tulsa, North Carolina-Greensboro, North Carolina-Wilmington, and VCU. 

Auburn has claimed the tournament crown in two of the three tournaments in tournament history. Along with the Tigers, both Georgia State and Kansas State finished in the top five in last year’s tournament. 

The Course: 

Set on the 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, the Grand National Lake Course will be home to the Tiger Invitational again this year. Grand National has been the location for the Tiger Invitational every year since it’s inaugural tournament in 2013, and is also host to the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship in July. Kentucky returns to the tournament after competing once before in the 2012-13 season. 

Players will tee off with a shotgun start at 7:45 a.m. ET on Sunday for the 54-hole event. Teams will be paired based on the results from the first two rounds and will play 18 holes every day, concluding on Tuesday. Fans can follow along with the action on www.golfstat.com 

Grand National Lake Course

Auburn, Ala. 

March 6-8

Par: 72

Yardage: 7,149

UK Lineup: 

1 – Chip McDaniel

2 – Stephen Stallings

3 – Cooper Musselman

4 – Fred Allen Meyer

5 – David Snyder