LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s golf team concludes its fall season when it travels to East Hampton, New York for the Hamptons Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday. Hosted by Loyola Maryland at the Maidstone Club, the 10-team event will include 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday.
The UK lineup will consist of Alex Goff, Campbell Kremer, Garrett Wood, Dhaivat Pandya and Andrew Clark, with Kevin Watts participating as an individual.
“This team is going to catch fire at some point this season,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “I hope it is this week but, either way, it is coming. The opportunity for these student-athletes to play Maidstone is incredible. This will be a unique experience unlike anything we have seen. Maidstone is one of the oldest golf courses in the U.S. and sits directly on the Atlantic Ocean in the far eastern part of Long Island. We are excited to compete again and close out the fall on a positive note.”
The tournament marks the last of four fall events for the Wildcats, who open their spring schedule Feb. 5-7 at the Battle at Briar’s Creek in John’s Island, S.C.
NOTEWORTHY
Tournament History: This year marks the third edition of the Hamptons Intercollegiate. Oregon State won the inaugural event in 2019 and, after the 2020 event was canceled, Georgia Tech took home the trophy at the Hamptons Intercollegiate a year ago.
The Course: Maidstone Club, one of the premier courses on the East Coast, opened in 1891 and expanded to 18 holes in 1899. The course, which was renovated by Ben Crenshaw in 2012, will play as a par-72 at 6,665 yards.
The Field: Along with the Wildcats and host Loyola, Georgetown, Ohio State, Oregon State, Penn, Princeton, Utah, Virginia and Yale will participate.
Last Time Out: The Cats finished 14th in the stroke play portion at the SEC Match Play Championship Sept. 25-27 in Vestavia Hills, Ala. Junior Campbell Kremer led Kentucky, which fell to Arkansas in match play, at 3-under-par in a tie for 23rd. Kremer posted a career-low 4-under 66 in the final round of stroke play.
The Numbers So Far: Goff paces the Wildcats with a 71.00 scoring average followed by Wood at 72.22 and Kremer and Pandya at 72.44. Goff leads the Wildcats with six rounds of par-or-better, including five under-par, while Kremer and Pandya have each carded four rounds of par-or-better.
All nine of Wood’s rounds have counted toward the team tally while Kremer’s career-low 4-under-par 66 in the final round at SEC Match Play marked the best by a Wildcats in the 2022-23 campaign.
Cats Return Seven: The Wildcats return seven players from the 2021-22 roster. Combined, the returners earned four top-10 finishes, 11 top-20 finishes and three of UK’s five starters from its Southeastern Championship and NCAA Regional squad will return.
Wood, Goff, Kremer Highlight Returners: Wood, UK’s leader in stroke average a year ago, highlights the returning core. He charted a 71.55 average and amassed five top-20 finishes. Goff posted a 71.97 average with four top-20 finishes, while Kremer had a pair of top-20 finishes and totaled a 72.89 stroke average.
Career Par-or-Better Rounds (in 2022-23):
Garrett Wood – 42 (3)
Alex Goff – 40 (6)
Dhaivat Pandya – 24 (4)
Campbell Kremer – 17 (3)
Cooper Parks – 9 (1)
Andrew Clark – 3 (3)
Jackson LaLonde – 3 (1)
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