Men's Golf
April 22, 2021 - 04:21 PM

Kentucky Moves into Top 10 Behind Play of Allen Hamilton

by Deb Moore

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Senior Allen Hamilton recorded a 1-under-par 69 to move into the top 15 on the individual leaderboard and helped drive the Kentucky men’s golf team into the top 10 on the second day of stroke play at the Southeastern Conference Championship. UK concluded the second round in a tie for ninth with Florida at 15-over-par and is just four shots back of South Carolina for the final coveted spot in the match-play portion of the event.

The top eight teams following 54 holes of stroke play advance to match play beginning on Saturday. Only Alabama was a bigger mover during Thursday’s round as the Wildcats ascended three spots into a tie for ninth. The Cats played masterfully over the first nine holes and were one of only two teams under par as they made the turn, before concluding the day at 7-over and shaving one stroke off of their opening round performance.

Hamilton paced the performance, but UK also got tremendous rounds from sophomores Alex Goff and Cooper Parks. Goff notched an even-par 70, while Parks logged a 1-over 71.

“I loved seeing Allen Hamilton step up and lead this team today,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “Alex Goff and Cooper Parks played quite well. Seaside was a great test again today and we were so close to putting together an exceptional round. We definitely moved up the leaderboard and will be fighting for a match play spot tomorrow. We need to bring our best games tomorrow.”

The Wildcats tee off from the 10th hole on Friday at 9 a.m. ET. They are paired with Missouri and Texas A&M. Live stats are available via golfstat.com.

Alabama was the only team in the field to finish round two under par as the blistery conditions made the day difficult for all on the course. The Tide own a three-stroke edge at 1-over par over Arkansas with 18 holes remaining. Georgia and LSU are tied for third at 5-over. Auburn rounds out the top five at seven-over par. Ten strokes separate the teams tied for sixth (Tennessee and Vanderbilt) and 12th-place Texas A&M (+19) paving the way for a spectacular finish on Friday.

Hamilton put together one of the best rounds of his senior season at a time when the Wildcats needed it the most. The Louisville, Kentucky, native churned out four total birdies on the day. His round began with a bogey on the opening hole, but he shook it off and eventually scored birdies on consecutive holes at the par-four 14th and the par-five 15th.

Coincidentally, four of UK’s five starters notched birdies on the 15th hole during Thursday’s round. It was easily Kentucky’s most productive hole of the day.

A bogey on the par-four 18th forced Hamilton to make the turn at even par. After getting a par at the first, Hamilton once again picked up a stroke with a birdie at the par-four second. He carded another birdie at the par-four fifth before yielding a bogey at the sixth. Hamilton played par the rest of the way for the 1-under scorecard. He has moved into a tie for 12th on the individual leaderboard and is a mere stroke off a top-10 finish.

Goff ascended into a tie for 27th overall following his even-par 70. The Kings Mountain, North Carolina, native fought off a slow start with three birdies in a row at the 13th, 14th and 15th holes. A double-bogey followed at the 16th, but the steady sophomore gathered himself quickly for a bounce-back birdie at the par-four 18th. He made the turn at 1-under and suffered consecutive setbacks at the second and third. Goff fired back with a birdie at the fourth to get to even par and he played that way the remainder of the round.

Parks got off to a quick start with a bridie on his second hole, the par-four 11th. He offset a double-bogey at the 14th with his second birdie of the round on the 15th. The Campbellsville, Kentucky, native made the turn at even par. He then birdied the par-four first. Bogeys at the second, fourth and seventh ensued before he finished the round in stylish fashion with a birdie on the par-four ninth. Parks moved into a tie for 57th overall following two rounds of play.

Graduate students Reid Bedell and Jacob Cook earned rounds of 77 and 78, respectively. Both suffered from one bad hole and never got their rounds on track. Cook is tied for 44th overall, while Bedell is in a tie for 61st.

This marks the 20th year for the SEC Championship to be contested on the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. The SEC has conducted its annual championship on St. Simons Island since 2001. Since 1927, the Sea Island Golf Club has enjoyed a legacy as one of America’s premier golf clubs.

Rated No. 1 in the U.S. among the “World’s 50 Best Golf Hotels” by Golf Digest Index, Sea Island Golf Club offers three exceptional 18-hole championship courses. The Seaside Course, home to the PGA TOUR’s McGladrey Classic, is a links course graced by majestic ocean vistas in the tradition of St. Andrews.

Originally designed in 1929 by famed architects Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison, the Seaside Course was updated in 1999 by Tom Fazio – earning it a prominent place on Golf Digest’s list of “Top 100 Courses in the United States.”