Kentucky Jumps Out to Four-Stroke Advantage Through 18
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. – The Kentucky men’s golf team began its 2017-18 season in impressive fashion. The Wildcats garnered a four-stroke advantage on the leaderboard after a sparkling opening round of play at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville, Indiana on Friday.
Kentucky finished the opening 18 holes shooting an even par, 284, and boasts a four-shot lead over second-place Arkansas State and NC State. All five of UK’s starters sit among the top 25 on the individual leaderboard, led by 1-under par rounds by both junior Lukas Euler and senior Cooper Musselman.
Player Roundup
Musselman and Euler are tied for second place on the individual leaderboard after both posting a 1-under par score of 70 through the opening 18 holes of play.
Euler led the field in two categories. He was 3-under par on the par 5s, birding all three on the course. He also was first in the field with seven birdies on the day. After going 3-over par through his opening two holes, Euler settled down and birdied five of his next eight holes. That stretch included birdies on the No. 9 and No. 10. He added two more on the back nine to combat a double-bogey on the par-four 14th.
Musselman opened his round by scoring an even par on each of the first seven holes. He faced some adversity, bogeying the final two holes on the front nine. The senior wasted little time in picking the strokes back up with birdies on the 10th and 11th. He finished his round with birdies on two of the last three holes, including carding a red number on the par-four 18th. Musselman was among the field leaders on par-three holes, going 1-under for the day.
Senior Chip McDaniel and junior Fred Allen Meyer sit in a tie for 15th after registering 1-over par 72s. McDaniel played even par over the final nine holes, while Meyer began the day by scoring 2-under through the first half of play.
Sophomore Matt Liston rounded out the starting lineup with a 3-over 74. Liston’s round was highlighted by birdies on the first two holes of the day to guide him into a tie for 23rd.
Senior Evan Cox led the way for the three Wildcats competing as individuals. Cox is tied for 29th after firing a four-over-par 75. Jacob Cook and Max Mehles, both playing in their first ever collegiate events, shot rounds of 77 and 83, respectively.
The Tournament Setup
Teams: Arkansas State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Florida, East Carolina, Fort Wayne, Indiana (host), IUPUI, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina State, North Texas, Southern Illinois, Toledo, Western Kentucky, Xavier
Leaders: Kentucky (284, E); Arkansas State (288, +4); NC State (288, +4); Miami (OH) (290, +6), Central Florida (294, +8)
Course Details: Wolf Run Golf Club was voted the 15th Best Modern Course by Golfweek in 2007. This Steven R. Smyers course plays 7,155 yards with a par of 71 and a slope rating of 143 on bent grass.
Format: Kentucky will tee off from the No. 1 on Saturday beginning at 9:05 a.m. ET. The field will play 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday.
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
Weekend Forecast: Saturday (High of 71 and sunny), Sunday (High of 72 with sunny skies)
Agate
1 – Kentucky (284, E)
T2 – Lukas Euler (70, -1)
T2 – Cooper Musselman (70, -1)
T15 – Chip McDaniel (72, +1)
T15 – Fred Allen Meyer (72, +1)
T23 – Matt Liston (74, +3)
*T29 – Evan Cox (75, +4)
*T44 – Jacob Cook (77, +6)
*T81 – Max Mehles (83, +12)
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
– GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Deb Moore (deb.moore@uky.edu) or Grant Gearheart (grant.gearheart@uky.edu)
– 859-257-3838
