Five Wildcats Honored as Golf All-America Scholars
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s golfers Jacob Cook, Allen Hamilton, Matt Liston, Zach Norris and Garrett Wood were named Early Wave Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholars for their outstanding effort both on and off the course.
UK’s five recipients are among a record 376 players in Division I golf to claim the honor. To be eligible a player must be a junior or senior academically, compete in at least three full years at the collegiate level, participate in at least 40% of the team’s competition, have a stroke average under 76.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2. A recipient must also be of high moral character and be in good standing at his college or university.
Cook saw action in five of UK’s events in 2019-20. He earned a career-best finish at the Bearcat Invitational where he tied for 21st overall. The Frankfort, Kentucky, native also boasted a career-low round of 69 during the third round of the Bearcat and his combined 216 score in the event also marked a career best. He generated five par-or-better rounds and enjoyed a career-low 73.46 stroke average. This summer he finished as the top amateur at the Unbridled Tour event held locally at Boone’s Trace National Golf Club.
Cook graduated in May with a degree in management. He is a three-time All-Southeastern Conference Academic Team honoree and was inducted into the Frank G. Ham Society of Character in February. He also serves as the vice president of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and was one of two UK athletes to represent the Wildcats at the SEC Advisory Committee this year. Cook also was tabbed to the Dean’s List during both semesters this year.
Hamilton started every event for the Wildcats this season and paced the team with a 72.88 stroke average. He earned a pair of top-20 finishes, including a career-best tie for fourth at the Bearcat Invitational. The Louisville, Kentucky, native had a team-high eight par-or-better rounds and carded career low scores for a round (67) and a tournament (208) this season. He tied for second at the Genesis Open Collegiate Showcase where he played alongside PGA Tour member and UK Athletics Hall of Famer J.B. Holmes, just missing out on being the automatic qualifier for the event.
He’s a three-time All-SEC Academic Team member and earned Dean’s List distinction during the spring semester as a double-major in finance and economics.
Liston wrapped up his four-year career with the Wildcats in 2019-20. He appeared in 27 events and concluded his career with a 74.43 stroke average. During his senior campaign, he saw action in five events and made two starts. The Louisville, Kentucky, native had a trio of par-or-better rounds. As a junior, he was one of just two Wildcats to appear in all 11 events including the SEC Championship and the NCAA Regional. UK advanced to the match play portion of the SEC Championship for the first time in program history last year and Liston earned a win in the semifinals of the event.
A graduate of Kentucky in May with a degree in finance, Liston is a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. He was also tabbed to the Dean’s List during the fall semester.
Norris made five starts for the Cats in a shortened season. He charted a career-low 73.92 stroke average for the season and had three par-or-better rounds. The McKee, Kentucky, native matched a career low with a round of 70 three times this season. He tied for 21st at the Bearcat Invitational to help UK to a third-place finish. Norris fired a 1-under par score over the final two rounds. He also tied for 23rd in the team’s final event of the season at the Tiger Invitational with a 2-under during the third round.
He is a two-time selection to the All-SEC Academic Team. Norris is working towards degrees in finance and accounting. He earned Dean’s List distinction during both semesters in 2019-20.
Wood made five appearances for UK in his first season as a Wildcat after transferring from Xavier. He finished the season with a 74.00 stroke average and earned a season-best tie for ninth at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational. The Mason, Ohio, native finished the tournament at even par with a total score of 216 which marked a season best. He carded a season-low round of 69 to begin the Tiger Invitational and he tied for 32nd. He had four par-or-better rounds in 2019-20.
Wood is pursing a degree in marketing and was a Dean’s List selection during both semesters. The 2019-20 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll has yet to be released.
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