Men’s Golf Wraps up Historic Fall Season at Steelwood
2017-18 Season Stats
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After the most impressive three-tournament stretch in program history under head coach Brian Craig, the Kentucky men’s golf team returns to action at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational in Loxley, Alabama, this weekend to wrap-up fall action for the 2017-18 season.
Kentucky has won all three of its fall events. They’re now just the second team under Craig to win three consecutive tournaments and just the third team under Craig to win two or more tournaments in a single season. They also own the score for the lowest single round and the lowest 54-hole tournament score.
Two players, Cooper Musselman and Chip McDaniel, have both taken home individual honors this season. Musselman won the Crooked Stick Invitational and has finished in the top 10 of all three fall events. McDaniel was the top finisher at the Bearcat Invitational and is joined by Lukas Euler in having posted top-20 finishes in all three events.
Beginning on Saturday, the Wildcats will take on Steelwood Country Club for a two-day 54-hole event. The 12-team field will play 36-continuos holes on Saturday before a final 18 on Sunday.
Kentucky enters the tournament with a No. 8 ranking by Golfstat. In its toughest test of the season, UK will also be in the field with top-ranked Alabama.
Coach Craig’s Takeaway
“We love this Steelwood event. The golf course is fabulous and the hospitality is off of the charts. We have had excellent preparation leading into this week’s tournament and are ready to play. The biggest challenge will be adapting to the Bermuda grass, but this is a pretty experienced team and we should be able to handle it fine.”
Lineup Profiles
Cooper Musselman: Is coming off his first collegiate victory at the Crooked Stick Invitational in which he bettered the field by five strokes. He leads the team in stroke average (70.78), top-10 finishes (three) and par-or-better rounds (seven) during the 2017-18 season. He’ll make his 36th career start this weekend and he has earned 30 percent of his top-10 finishes during his senior campaign.
Chip McDaniel: He has garnered top-20 finishes in all three fall events thus far, including a win at the Bearcat Invitational. He owns a 71.22 stroke average through nine rounds of action, which is second on the team. For his career, he has posted 58 par-or-better rounds. He’ll be making his 37th career start for the Cats.
Lukas Euler: He’s had his most productive three-tournament stretch of his career with top-20 finishes in all three fall events. He boasted a career-best tie for third at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate to begin the season and lead UK to its first team victory. He owns a 71.44 stroke average through nine rounds of his junior campaign. He is making his 20th career start and has nine top-20 finishes.
Evan Cox: Will be making his second start of the fall campaign and appearing in his third overall event. He placed in a tie for seventh, his best finish at Kentucky, during the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He has two top-20 finishes in seven events in the Blue and White. He owns a 73.33 stroke average for the fall season.
Matt Liston: He is making his third start of the fall season after earning a career-best finish of a tie for fifth at Wolf Run. He also shot a career-low round of 68 during the final day of play at the Bearcat Invitational to help propel UK to the win. His stroke average through six rounds of play during the 2017-18 campaign is 72.17.
Jacob Cook: Will play in his third event of the season after playing as an individual during the Wolf Run and making his first career start at the Crooked Stick Invitational. Cook is playing as an individual this week and owns a 77.33 stroke average through six rounds of his career. His low round of 74 came in the opening round of play at the Crooked Stick to aid the winning cause.
The Tournament Setup
Teams: Alabama, UAB, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Lamar, Liberty, Rice, Richmond, South Alabama, Southern Mississippi, Troy, Wofford
Course Details: Designed by former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate, Steelwood Country Club has been rated as one of the best courses in Alabama by GolfDigest. This scenic course is centered on Steelwood Lake, holds Bermuda grass, and provides many perplexing shots throughout its 7,096 yards.
Format: Par 72, 7,096 yards – Play five and count four scores
Schedule of Play: 54 total holes; 36 continuous holes on Day 1, Final 18 holes on Day 2
Saturday, Oct. 28 – Rounds 1-2 (Shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. ET)
Sunday, Oct. 29 – Round 3 (Tee times start at 9 a.m. ET off of No. 1 and No. 10)
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
Forecast: Saturday (50% chance of AM showers, High of 59), Sunday (High of 61 and sunny)
History at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational
Years Participated: 2016
Best Finish: 2nd – 2016
Returning Player Finishes From 2015: Chip McDaniel (3rd), Cooper Musselman (T7th), Lukas Euler (T17th)
Noteworthy: Chip McDaniel had three rounds of par or better, while Cooper Musselman had two rounds of par or better en route to a pair of top-10 finishes
Upcoming Schedule
Feb. 18-20 Puerto Rico Classic Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
March 10-11 General Hackler Collegiate Myrtle Beach, S.C.
March 16-18 Schenkel Invitational Statesboro, Ga.
Agate
Kentucky
1 – Cooper Musselman
2 – Chip McDaniel
3 – Lukas Euler
4 – Evan Cox
5 – Matt Liston
Ind. – Jacob Cook
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
