Wildcats are Biggest Movers During Second Round of Bearcat
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Paced by a 5-under par second round, the Kentucky men’s golf team concluded the opening day of the Bearcat Invitational in fourth place overall. Four of the five starters shot par or better during the second round as the Wildcats made the biggest jump on the leaderboard ascending five spots and within reach of a top-three showing. Two Wildcats, Allen Hamilton and Alex Goff, produced career-low rounds at the Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Hamilton finished the opening round at 4-under behind a 67 on his scorecard. Goff charged up the leaderboard behind a 3-under 68 to lead the way during round two.
Louisville is the leader in the clubhouse with a combined two-round score of 22-under par. Arkansas is second at 9-under, while Penn State is in third at 3-under. Through two rounds, Kentucky is 1-over par and four shots back from a top-three finish.
“I made one of my best coaching moves every today,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “We played poorly in the morning round, so I decided to fire myself and put our student coach and former stud player, Max Mehles, in my place. Max and Coach (Ben) Fuqua did a phenomenal job in the afternoon and the boys responded. When we learn to start playing loose and free from the start, this team is going to be dangerous.”
The Wildcats struggled during the opening round with Hamilton the only player finishing below par. All Kentucky did in the second round was shoot its lowest score of the season with a 279. That total tied for the 23rd-lowest round in the Craig era. Coincidentally, the best 18-hole team score under Craig was a 269 at this same course in 2017.
Play began with a shotgun start at 8:45 a.m. ET. Hamilton got off to a fast start with a birdie on his second hole. Through his opening 11 holes, he was 1-over par. He then carded five birdies over his final seven holes to produce the best round of his career and move into the top five on the individual leaderboard. He shot an even-par 71 during the second round and finished the day tied for sixth and in contention for his first career top-10 finish.
Goff logged his career-low score during the second round, benefiting from a sensational back nine. The Kings Mountain, North Carolina, native began his second round off the No. 5 tee box. He picked up a stroke with a birdie at the eighth, but gave the stroke back on the 11th. Goff seemed to settle in and carded seven straight pars. As he made the turn, he scored birdies on three of his final four holes for the 68 and a new career-best mark. Goff is tied for 13th with a 1-under scorecard through 36 holes after an opening round 73. He’s in position to earn his second straight top-10 individual finish.
Freshmen Cooper Parks and Zach Norris had nearly identical scorecards concluding the day in a tie for 32nd following rounds of 75 and 70. Both players improved during the second round by getting under par. Parks logged birdies at the fifth, 10th and 12th holes to offset a pair of bogeys. Norris birdied the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 13 to combat a double-bogey on the fifth.
Senior Matt Liston fired two rounds of 77 and is tied for 68th.
Junior Jacob Cook, playing as an individual, finished the day in a tie for 45th. He had rounds of 73 and 74 for the combined 5-over score.
Play concludes with a final 18 holes on Tuesday. Liston will begin the day for the starters off the No. 1 tee at 9 a.m. UK is paired with Cincinnati and Illinois State. The Bearcats are six strokes off UK’s pace.
Live stats will be available via golfstat.com.
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