Men’s Golf Begins Spring at Puerto Rico Classic

2017-18 Season Stats
 
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Winners of three fall tournaments, the No. 18 Kentucky men’s golf team will return to action in its first spring event of the season at the Puerto Rico Classic on Sunday.
 
The loaded field is comprised of three top-10 teams, and all but one is ranked inside the top 100 of the GolfStat rankings.
 
Kentucky captured the team title in each of its first three events of the 2017-18 season, highlighted by two players, Chip McDaniel and Cooper Musselman, also winning individual titles. The Wildcats had at least one player finish inside the top five in all four of their fall events.
 
Junior Lukas Euler paced the roster with a 71.25 stroke average, three top-10 finishes and he carded par-or-better rounds eight times.
 
When Kentucky won its three fall events it became just the second team under head coach Brian Craig to win three tournaments consecutively. It was also 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 following an impressive fall season.

Coach Craig’s Takeaway

“It’s great to be back in Puerto Rico at the Wyndham Rio Mar after all they have been through here with the hurricane. It really puts things into perspective as to what is ultimately important in life. With that in mind, we are excited to play and ready to start our spring semester. The guys seems to be in good form for this early in the year and we will need it down here as this field is loaded. It will definitely give us a baseline of where we are competitively and I am looking forward to that.”

Lineup Profiles

Lukas Euler: He had his most productive four-tournament stretch of his career with top-20 finishes in all four fall events. He led the team with a 71.25 stroke average and a low round of 67. His best finish came when he tied for second to conclude the fall season at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational. Euler had a pair of top-10 finishes and logged eight par-or-better rounds, while starting all four fall events.   
 
Chip McDaniel: Garnered a top-20 finish in all four events to help lead UK to three tournament victories. He claimed the individual crown at the Bearcat Invitational behind a 12-under score for the tournament. He boasts a 71.83 stroke average through 12 rounds of action this season. McDaniel has logged a top-20 finish in both career appearances at the Puerto Rico Classic. 
 
Cooper Musselman: Earned his first career victory during the fall slate with a 6-under score at the Crooked Stick Invitational. For the season, he’s averaging a 72.08 stroke average and has seven par-or-better rounds of play. He opened the season by scoring a top-10 finish in each of UK’s three tournament victories in the fall.   
 
Matt Liston: Will make his second-consecutive start and fourth on the season. He’s averaging a 73.67 stroke average which includes a tie for fifth at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He shot a combined 215 score at the Bearcat Invitational en route to helping guide UK to a win. He has two par-or-better rounds on the year, including a career-low 68 in the final round of the Bearcat.
 
Evan Cox: Is making his second-consecutive start and the fourth of the season. He earned a career-best finish of seventh at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate to begin his senior campaign. A 72 on the final day of play at the Bearcat Invitational aided UK’s winning cause. He’s played nine rounds thus far this season and owns a 74.56 stroke average.

The Tournament Setup

Teams: Alabama, Clemson, East Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Marquette, Maryland, Middle Tennessee State, NC State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Purdue, UNC Greensboro, Virginia Tech
 
Course Details: Set on the picturesque Caribbean coast, the Puerto Rico Classic will be played at Rio Mar Beach and Spa Resort’s River Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. Although the tournament began in 1999, this will be the second year that Kentucky will be competing. 
 
Format: Par 72, 6,902 yards – Play five and count four scores
 
Schedule of Play: 54 total holes; 18 holes each day
                Sunday, Feb. 18 – Round 1 (Shotgun start at 8 a.m. ET)
                Monday, Feb. 19 – Round 2
                Tuesday, Feb. 20 – Round 3
 
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
 
Forecast: Sunday (mostly sunny, high of 82), Monday (partly cloudy and windy, high of 81), Tuesday (partly cloudy and windy, high of 81)

History at the Puerto Rico Classic  

Years Participated: 2016, 2017
 
Best Finish: 4th – 2016
 
Returning Player Finishes From 2016: Cooper Musselman (T11th), Chip McDaniel (T11th)
 
Returning Player Finishes From 2017: Cooper Musselman (T5th), Chip McDaniel (T20th), Lukas Euler (T45th)
 
Noteworthy: Cooper Musselman shot under par in all three rounds in his top-five finish a season ago. Chip McDaniel led off the weekend with a 3-under, 69, last year.

Upcoming Schedule

March 10-11       General Hackler Collegiate                           Myrtle Beach, S.C.
March 16-18       Schenkel Invitational                                      Statesboro, Ga.
March 25-27       Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate            Awendaw, S.C.
April 9-10             Gary Koch Invitational                                    Gastonia, N.C. 

Agate

Kentucky
1 – Lukas Euler
2 – Chip McDaniel
3 – Cooper Musselman
4 – Matt Liston
5 – Evan Cox
 
Individuals
Fred Allen Meyer
Max Mehles
Jacob Cook
Allen Hamilton
Fadhli Soetarso
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.