Wildcats Steady Amid Windy Conditions at Tiger Invitational
OPELIKA, Ala. – The Kentucky men’s golf team was steady amid windy conditions during the second round of the Tiger Invitational as 19 of the 20 teams posted over-par rounds. Four Wildcats carded 2-over-par 74s and UK finished the day in a tie for sixth. Kentucky is a mere five shots off a top-four finish.
“We battled today, but just did not have our best stuff,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “The course was more challenging with the winds up, but a good score was still out there. Tomorrow is a new day and we will give it our best shot. This team is ready for a great round of golf.”
Allen Hamilton, Alex Goff, Zach Norris and Jacob Cook logged rounds of 74 for the Wildcats as the field battled howling winds out of the south. Cook made the biggest improvement from the opening round, shaving off two strokes to his score and ascending seven spots on the individual leaderboard.
South Alabama was the lone team to not card an over-par score as the Jaguars shot even par. Louisiana-Monroe leads the field through 36 holes at 2-under par. Auburn’s “B” squad is one shot off the pace, while the Tigers’ “A” squad is at 1-over par. North Alabama is in fourth at 6-over par and Western Kentucky at 10-over rounds out the top five. UK is in search of its second top-five finish of the season and is just one shot off the Hilltoppers’ pace but must also fend off Toledo who holds the same 11-over score.
Kentucky’s final round begins at 9:36 a.m. ET. Live stats will be available via golfstat.com.
Cook played 1-under par through the opening 12 holes to get off to a good start. He was steady with an ever-par score on each of the opening 10 holes. He picked up a stroke with a birdie at the par-four 11th but concluded his round with a 74 after bogeys on the final two holes pushed his total for the day to 2-over. He moved into a tie for 47th on the individual leaderboard.
Hamilton fought off a 2-over front nine to play the final nine holes at even par for his 74. For the second-consecutive round he birdied the par-four 18th. He’s tied for 35th heading into the final day.
Goff picked up Kentucky’s first eagle of the tournament at the par-five seventh. He played both the front and back nines at 1-over par. He’s also in a tie for 35th with 18 holes to play.
Norris began his round by playing the opening nine holes at 3-over par before rebounding with a 1-under scorecard on the back nine. He had a pair of birdies on two of his final three holes to head into the final round with momentum. He joins Goff and Hamilton in a tie for 35th.
Junior Garrett Wood turned in a round of 75 and is even-par for the tournament. Wood enters the final day with a chance for his second top-10 finish of the season as he is in a tie for 12th. He generated UK’s second eagle of the day at the par-five 12th. After a 5-over opening nine, Wood rallied for a masterful 2-under over the final nine holes.
Senior Matt Liston notched a round of 75 and is tied for 42nd as he plays as an individual this week. Liston earned a birdie at the par-four ninth to highlight his round.
Built on 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, 32 of the 54 holes drape along its filigreed shores. Both the Links course and the Lake course were in the top 10 of Golf Digest’s list of “America’s Top 50 Affordable Courses” and all three courses at the Grand National are listed among the nation’s 40 Super Value courses by Golf Digest’s “Places to Play.” With 12 holes hugging the shore of Lake Saugahatchee, the Lake course is one of the most scenic courses you can find. The quartet of par threes is as good as any in the nation.
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