Parks Paces Second Day at Jerry Pate National for UK
VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. – The Kentucky men’s golf team concluded the second round of the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate in 13th place overall with four of its five players shooting 72 or better during Monday’s round. Sophomore Cooper Parks charted a season-low 71 to lead the way.
“We have not had our best games these first two days,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “I still feel like this team is ready to play well. Tomorrow is a new day. We will play our hardest tomorrow and finish this fall on a positive note.”
Vanderbilt leads the field at 18-under par and has a two-stroke lead on Georgia. Auburn rounds out the top three at 15-under par. UK, at 10-over par, is 10 shots back of a top-seven finish. Kentucky will again be paired with LSU during Tuesday’s final round. The Wildcats and Tigers will tee off from the 10th beginning at 9:35 a.m. ET. Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
Parks led the Wildcats on day two with a 1-over par 71. The Campbellsville, Kentucky, native got off to a good start with a birdie on the par-four 11th after beginning the round on the back nine. He picked up another birdie at the par-four 15th to combat a pair of bogeys through his first nine holes. Parks rebounded from back-to-back bogeys after the turn to finish his round in stylish fashion with a birdie on the par-four ninth, his 18th hole of the round. Parks is tied for 43rd overall with a combined 3-over-par score for the tournament.
Junior Zach Norris is UK’s individual leader through two rounds at 1-over par. Norris had a 2-over 72 during Monday’s round and is tied for 34th overall.
Graduate student Jacob Cook and sophomore Alex Goff also produced rounds of 72 during the second round. Cook is tied for 39th overall and Goff is tied for 48th. Cook is 2-over for the tournament and Goff is 4-over through 36 holes. Senior Allen Hamilton is 69th overall following today’s round of 80.
It should be noted that following the conclusion of Sunday’s opening round, it was discovered one of LSU’s golfers signed for an incorrect scorecard. Therefore, his round one score was disqualified, and LSU’s team score went from a 3-over to a 10-over, giving UK a seven-shot advantage entering Monday’s round. The Wildcats expanded that lead to 12 shots during the second round.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on the web at UKathletics.com.
