Kentucky Men’s Golf to Compete in Inaugural SEC Match Play
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the first time in modern league history, the 14 members of the Southeastern Conference will play in a match play tournament during the fall campaign beginning on Sunday at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Alabama. The SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate is a first of its kind three-day tournament.
All 14 teams will compete in a match play “single-elimination” format. Sunday’s opening day consists of 36 holes of match play, with 18 holes being played on both Monday and Tuesday. Every team is guaranteed to play matches each day, even if eliminated en route to Tuesday’s finals.
The Wildcats will utilize a starting lineup of Jacob Cook, Zach Norris, Hugo Archer, Campbell Kremer and Cooper Parks.
“This is going to be a special week,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “Our first ever SEC Match Play at the fabulous Shoal Creek. We also have two of our top players out in Alex Goff and Garrett Wood. All I can say is, next man up. This will be an incredible opportunity for our team and a challenge we relish. Let’s go.”
UK gets play underway beginning at 9:20 a.m. ET off the No. 10 tee. UK will match up with Georgia to open action on Sunday morning. Live stats will be provided by golfstat.com.
Kentucky placed ninth at the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational in its last outing. The Wildcats finished the tournament strong with a 9-under-par 271 final round. It was the second-lowest score in Craig’s 21-year tenure. Cook and Wood fired rounds of 66 and 65, respectively.
NOTEWORTHY
Tournament History: This is the inaugural week of the SEC Match Play hosted by Jerry Pate event.
The Course: Designed by the legendary Jack Nicklaus in 1975, Shoal Creek – at 7,400 yards, par 72 –hosted the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open in addition to the 1984 and 1990 PGA Championships. It is rated as one of the top courses in the state and is considered one of the country’s best.
The Field: The field will consist of the 14-member SEC programs. Vanderbilt (10), Texas A&M (11), Georgia (13), Arkansas (14), Auburn (18), Florida (20) and LSU (24) enter the tournament ranked in the top 25.
The Lineup: Cook and Norris have started each of UK’s first two fall tournaments. Archer and Parks are making their second starts of the season. Archer made his first career start at the Old Town Club, while Parks was in the starting lineup for the opening event of the season at the Island Resort Intercollegiate. Kremer is making his first start of the season, but second appearance on the year. He tied for 27th at the Island Resort as he competed as an individual. He made two starts a season ago as a freshman.
Total career sub-70 Rounds:
Cook – 6
Norris – 4
Archer – 1
Kremer – 1
C. Parks – 1
First Time for Everything: This week will mark the first time any member of the current UK squad has competed in a match play event during their collegiate careers.
Cook is Cookin’: Cook has gotten off to a hot start to his 2021-22 campaign. The Frankfort, Kentucky, native has competed in two events thus far and earned top-10 finishes in both tournaments. Cook tied for seventh at the Island Resort Intercollegiate and then placed in a tie for ninth at Old Town. His 204 score at Old Town ranks as the fifth-lowest scorecard under Craig, while his third-round score of 66 is a career best and ranks tied for 18th for any player under Craig.
Norris Providing Steady Play: UK’s senior from McKee, Kentucky, has started each of UK’s opening two events and produced a round of 72 or lower in four of the six rounds to provide a steady, veteran presence to the Wildcats’ lineup. He’s averaging 72.83 strokes per round, which is on pace to be a career-low mark.
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