Goff’s Career Day Propels Kentucky to Fourth at Tiger Invitational
OPELIKA, Ala. – Redshirt freshman Alex Goff fired a career-low 6-under-par round of 66 to propel the Kentucky men’s golf team into fourth place to conclude play at the Tiger Invitational on Tuesday. Goff’s round is a season-low score for any UK player and tied for the 14th-lowest scorecard in the Brian Craig era. He concluded the tournament in a tie for eighth on the individual leaderboard.
Goff’s stellar round helped the Wildcats climb two spots on the leaderboard and move into fourth place. Auburn’s two teams earned first and second place and Louisiana-Monroe edged the Cats by a mere two shots for third. UK’s round of 280 was its second lowest of the season and was the third-lowest score on the course. Only Auburn, the host of the tournament, tallied lower rounds than UK on Tuesday.
“Alex Goff led the team today,” Craig said. “Shooting 66 was a fabulous round and we needed it. Overall, this was a solid performance, but we are still leaving a lot in the tank. We are now headed to the Schenkel Invitational which is one of our favorite events of the year. We are ready to play and compete against a quality field.”
Goff’s day actually began with a setback as he yielded a stroke at the par-three third, but things would change in a hurry. The Kings Mountain, North Carolina, native went on a tear birding four of his next five holes. He capped the opening nine at 3-under par. Goff’s special round continued into the back nine as he picked up birdies at the 11th, 12th and 14th holes to push his round to 6-under. Goff then endured the biggest hurdle of his round with a double-bogey at the 15th. He rebounded in a big way with an eagle at the par-four 16th to get back to 6-under. He pared the final two holes and moved into a tie for eighth on the leaderboard. He rose 27 spots and had the lowest round on the course during Tuesday’s final day of play. It marked his second top-10 finish of the season and his team-leading fourth top-20 finish.
He was not the only UK player to conclude the day under par. Sophomore Zach Norris generated a 2-under 70 to move into a tie for 23rd. Norris played 2-under over the first nine holes with birdies at the fourth and fifth holes. He gave back strokes at the 10th and 15th but offset those miscues with two more birdies at the 13th and 16th. It’s his 10th par-or-better round of the season.
Senior Allen Hamilton and junior Jacob Cook turned in even-par 72s to aide in the Wildcats’ cause. Hamilton’s round was highlighted by a string of three birdies over four holes heading into the turn. Cook had birdies on the fourth and 11th holes. Hamilton concluded the tournament in a tie for 32nd, while Cook tied for 42nd. He improved by two strokes each round he played this week.
Junior Garrett Wood matched Hamilton’s finish with a tie for 32nd following a final round of 76. Senior Matt Liston, playing as an individual, carded an even-par 72 and capped the week in a tie for 37th.
UK wastes little time before getting back to action. The Wildcats will travel to Statesboro, Georgia, for the Schenkel Invitational March 13-15. It marks the 15th consecutive year the Cats are in the field at Forest Heights Country Club.
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