Campbell Kremer Leads UK on Day One of SEC Championship
ST. SIMON’S ISLAND, Ga. – The Kentucky men’s golf team is in prime position heading into the second round of the Southeastern Conference Championship after a brilliant opening 18 from sophomore Campbell Kremer. Kremer fired a 1-under-par 69 to lead the Wildcats to a tie for seventh heading into the second round of stroke play on Thursday.
The 14-team field is in the midst of a three-day, 54-hole stroke event to open the tournament. Kentucky is playing to be among the top eight teams who will stick around for match play beginning on Saturday. Two finalists will be determined for a head-to-head match-play showdown for the conference’s champion on Sunday.
Kremer is tied for 13th on the individual leaderboard and was the only UK player to come in under par during Wednesday’s opening round. Kentucky is tied for seventh at 5-over par with Mississippi State.
Vanderbilt leads the field at 7-under par and Georgia is three shots back of the Commodores. LSU fired an opening-round 3-under, while Texas A&M is at 1-under par. Florida and Missouri are tied for fifth following a 2-over round with the Bulldogs and Wildcats just three shots back.
Kentucky will tee off at 8 a.m. from the No. 1 alongside Mississippi State and Auburn on Thursday.
Kremer got off to a hot start with a birdie on the first hole. He earned par on each of the next seven holes before picking up a birdie at the par-four ninth to make the turn at 2-under par. After another par at the 10th, Kremer moved to 3-under with a birdie at the par-four 11th. He fought off bogeys at the 14th and 16th with pars on each of the final two holes to turn in the second-lowest scorecard of his collegiate career following the opening round of the league championship. The 69 is the lowest round of the season for the Louisville, Kentucky native.
Alex Goff closed the day in a tie for 20th behind a 1-over-par 71. The Kings Mountain, North Carolina native birdied the par-three third and made the turn at 1-under par. A bogey at the 12th was offset with a birdie at the 15th. Goff then dropped a shot on each of the next two holes before rallying for a par at the 18th to earn a 71 and finish among the top 20 on the individual leaderboard.
Garrett Wood is tied for 34th with a 72. Wood had a stretch of three straight birdies at the fifth, sixth and seventh, but yielded shots at the ninth, 12th and 16th.
Jacob Cook finished the day in a tie for 42nd after posting a 3-over 73. Cook had a birdie at the par-four 11th to highlight his round. Hugo Archer concluded the day in a tie for 64th with a round of 76. Archer got off to a good start with pars on each of the first six holes but played five-over on the back nine.
This marks the 21st 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.”
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AGATE
T7 – Kentucky (285, +5)
T13 – Campbell Kremer (69, -1)
T20 – Alex Goff (71, +1)
T34 – Garrett Wood (72, +2)
T42 – Jacob Cook (73, +3)
T64 – Hugo Archer (76, +6)
