Wildcats Set for SEC Championship
2017-18 Season Stats
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After enjoying one of the most prolific regular seasons of head coach Brian Craig’s career, the Kentucky men’s golf team is set to take on its biggest challenge yet at the Southeastern Conference Championship this week.
Tasked with facing a field in which every team is ranked 56th or better, UK will rely on experience from four players who have appeared at least once in the event during their careers and a redshirt freshman who is arguably enjoyed the best spring slate of any player on the roster.
Kentucky enters this week with a No. 19 national ranking and likely a lock for a berth in a NCAA Regional which will be announced next week. With four tournament victories on the season, this team is prepared for any situation and ready to pursue the most important tournament crown to date.
In UK’s last event, the Wildcats chased down Auburn from six strokes back heading into the final round of play to win the Gary Koch Invitational by four shots. Senior Chip McDaniel and freshman Max Mehles were integral parts in that run. However all five starters, who will also start at this week’s championship, finished in the top 25 on the individual leaderboard.
McDaniel matched his career low score of 201, which is also the second-best 54-hole total of any player under Craig, while Mehles notched a tie for third behind the best score of his young career.
Junior Fred Allen Meyer secured the best finish of his career with a tie for sixth in the event, while classmate Lukas Euler earned his seventh top-20 finish of the season – tops on the team to continue his impressive junior campaign. Senior Cooper Musselman owns a team-leading four top-10 finishes on the season to couple with 17 par-or-better rounds of play. They’ll make up the starting five for the Cats this week.
The SEC Championship will be played for the 18th time at St. Simon’s Island on the Seaside Course which is rated as one of the top-50 courses in the country. Kentucky will share the No. 1 tee alongside Arkansas and Ole Miss beginning at 1:55 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
This year’s format will feature a 54-hole stroke play, with an individual tournament crown being awarded on Friday. The top eight teams will stick around for match play beginning on Saturday. Two finalists will be determined for a head-to-head match play showdown for the conference’s champion on Sunday.
Coach Craig’s Takeaway
“Our next challenge is the SEC Championship and we cannot wait. We have the best men’s golf conference in the nation, by far, and that gets all of our competitive juices flowing. Our goal is simple – to do our best with honor and integrity. If we do that, we can all live with the outcome.”
Lineup Profiles
Chip McDaniel: McDaniel will make his 43rd career start and the fourth of his career at the SEC Championship this week at St. Simons Island’s Seaside Course. McDaniel has enjoyed success on the league’s stage with a runner-up finish his sophomore season. He enters the week with a 72.11 stroke average, which includes 15 par-or-better rounds. McDaniel was simply sensational during his last event in a runner-up, record-breaking finish at the Gary Koch Invitational. McDaniel fired a career-low-tying 201 (-15) for the week with rounds of 66-69-66 to finish just one shot off the lead. McDaniel earned his second individual win this season when he took home top honors at the Bearcat Invitational to help guide UK to its second straight tournament title in as many tries to begin the season. The Manchester, Kentucky, native also shot a 201 at that tournament, marking the second-lowest 54-hole tournament score under Craig.
Lukas Euler: Euler has enjoyed the most productive season of his three-year career. He has totaled a career-low 71.41 stroke average, which also ranks as the best on the team. That includes a team-high seven top-25 finishes in nine events. The Dieburg, Germany, native has also tallied a team-best 19 par-or-better rounds. He opened his junior campaign by scoring a tie for third to help lead UK to a win at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate. He then carded a tie for second at the Steelwood Intercollegiate to cap off the Fall, narrowly missing out on his first career win. His spring season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate where he scored a career-low 205 at 11-under for the week. Euler will make his second start at the SEC Championship this week.
Cooper Musselman: Musselman is set to appear in the 42nd event of his career and his fourth SEC Championship. He has three top-30 finishes at the event, including a career-best tie for 23rd a season ago. Musselman has notched a 72.15 stroke average on the season with five top-20 finishes and four top-10 finishes which include his first collegiate victory. Musselman opened the season with three-consecutive top-10 finishes, including a win at the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate. He shot a 6-under-par score to lead Kentucky to its third straight tournament win to begin the year. Musselman tied for ninth at the Bearcat Invitational and broke his own records with a low round (67) and a low score (207). The Louisville, Kentucky, native has fired 17 par-or-better rounds on the year, including seven of those coming in the final round of a tournament.
Max Mehles: Mehles has charged into the lineup with magnificent performances down the stretch for the Wildcats this spring in his redshirt freshman campaign. Mehles has garnered three top-10 finishes in his last four events played; including a tie for third with his best-ever score at the Gary Koch Invitational in UK’s last event. Mehles played at 7-under par behind scores of 70-71-68 as Kentucky secured its fourth win of the season. The Pulheim, Germany, native has carded 10 par-or-better rounds with seven coming in the last eight rounds he’s played. Mehles finished in a tie for sixth at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate and also had a tie for seventh as an individual at the General Hackler Championship. He will make his first career start at the SEC Championship this week.
Fred Allen Meyer: Meyer will make the second start of his career at the SEC Championship after totaling a tie for 33rd a season ago. The Nicholasville, Kentucky, native is coming off one of his best performances of the season at the Gary Koch Invitational with a career-best finish of a tie for sixth. He fired rounds of 71-69-70 for a 210 total score. He narrowly missed matching his career-best score of 208 which he set earlier this season at the Bearcat Invitational when he tied for 11th. Meyer will make his 20th career start at this week’s SEC Championship and has six top-20 finishes in his career. He is shooting at a career-low clip of 72.79 this season over 24 rounds of play.
The Tournament Setup
Teams: No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Florida, No. 9 Auburn, No. 11 LSU, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 19 Kentucky, No. 34 Ole Miss, No. 38 South Carolina, No. 39 Missouri, No. 50 Tennessee, No. 54 Georgia, No. 56 Mississippi State
Course Details: This marks the 18th year for the SEC Championship to be contested on the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. The SEC has conducted its annual championship on St. Simons Island since 2001. Since 1927, the Sea Island Golf Club has enjoyed a legacy as one of America’s premier golf clubs.
Rated No. 1 in the U.S. among the “World’s 50 Best Golf Hotels” by Golf Digest Index, Sea Island Golf Club offers three exceptional 18-hole championship courses. The Seaside Course, home to the PGA TOUR’s McGladrey Classic, is a links course graced by majestic ocean vistas in the tradition of St. Andrews.
Originally designed in 1929 by famed architects Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison, the Seaside Course was updated in 1999 by Tom Fazio – earning it a prominent place on Golf Digest’s list of “Top 100 Courses in the United States.”
Format: Three-day, 54-hole event stroke play. Count top four scores each day. Match play for top eight teams beginning on Saturday. Final two play head-to-head in match play on Sunday.
Live Look: Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
Forecast: Wednesday (Mostly sunny, high of 78, 10% chance of rain, W 10 mph); Thursday (Mostly sunny, high of 77, 10% chance of rain, S 10 mph); Friday (Sunny, high of 79, 10% chance of rain, SW 9 mph)
History at the SEC Championship
Best Finish: First (2005)
Returning Players History: Chip McDaniel (2016 – 2nd, 2015 – T11th, 2017 – T18th), Cooper Musselman (2017 – T23rd, 2016 – T25th, 2015 – T27th), Fred Allen Meyer (2017 – T33rd), Lukas Euler (2017 – 56th)
Upcoming Schedule
May 2 NCAA Selection Show (5:30 p.m. | Golf Channel)
May 14-16 NCAA Regional
May 25-30 NCAA Championship
Agate
Kentucky
1 – Chip McDaniel
2 – Lukas Euler
3 – Cooper Musselman
4 – Max Mehles
5 – Fred Allen Meyer
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
