Junior Garrett Wood in Top Five After Opening Day
LOXLEY, Ala. – Junior Garrett Wood finished the opening day of the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational among the top five players on the individual leaderboard to lead the Kentucky men’s golf team in Loxley, Alabama on Saturday. Rainy conditions and darkness prevented five groups on the course from completing the second round leaving results incomplete for the day.
Due to four teams unable to complete the second round as well as several players competing as individuals, results are only official through the opening 18 holes. Teams will resume play at 8:30 a.m. ET on Sunday morning. The third and final round will resume following completion of the second round.
Kentucky concluded the opening round in seventh place at 8-over par. Mississippi State is the clubhouse leader at 2-under par. Arkansas State is two shots back and Indiana finished the first round at 1-over par. Cincinnati and Kennesaw State are tied for fourth at 3-over.
Wood paced the Wildcats through the first 18 holes with a 1-under-par 71 to finish in a tie for fourth. He began his round off the No. 2 tee and played his first two holes at 2-over par. From there he settled in and pared the next six holes before making the turn. A birdie at the par-five 10th ignited his round. He also picked up birdies at the par-four 14th and the par-four 16th to get to 1-under for the round.
“I am super proud of Garrett,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “He did a nice job today of leading this team. As a team, we need to step it up and have a better day tomorrow. I believe in this team and we need to close out this fall season with a round that reflects our abilities.”
Senior Allen Hamilton is tied for 18th after firing a 1-over 73. A birdie at the par-five 18th enabled Hamilton to finish his round in style. He’s searching for his team-leading third top-20 finish of the season.
Redshirt freshman Alex Goff tied for 38th with a round of 75. Senior Matt Liston shot a 77 and is tied for 49th, while freshman Cooper Parks is tied for 62nd behind a round of 79.
Playing as individuals, redshirt freshman Jay Kirchdorfer matched Hamilton’s round of 71 and is tied for 18th. He played the course’s back nine at 2-under par to highlight his day. Junior Jacob Cook matched Goff’s start with a 3-over 75.
The course, designed by former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate, is rated by GolfDigest as one of the best courses in Alabama. The vistas are spectacular, especially the six holes bordering the lake. The course opened in 1997 and features 7,096 yards. The course rating is 74.0 and it has a slope rating of 144 on Bermuda grass.
Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
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