MOUNTAIN BROOK, Alabama – The Kentucky men’s golf team sits in a tie for 12th at even-par after the first day of the stroke-play portion of SEC Match Play Monday at the Country Club of Birmingham West Course. Kentucky opened the day with a 2-under-par 282 team score to place 10th after the opening 18 holes but carded a second-round 2-over-par 286 in the afternoon session.
The Cats tee off in the third round at 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday.
Through 36 holes, graduate Alex Goff sits tied for eighth at 7-under while redshirt freshman Solomon Petrie is tied for 31st at 1-under. Junior transfer Jansen Preston is tied for 53rd at 3-over, senior Campbell Kremer is tied for 64th at 5-over and freshman Michael Hake sits 68th at 7-over.
Goff carded a bogey-free 2-under-par 69, recording a par on each of his first 14 holes, before notching back-to-back birdies on the par-3 13th and par-4 14th in the shotgun start format. Preston finished a stroke back of Goff with a 1-under 70, marking his first under-par round as a Wildcat. The Lexington native bogeyed his first hole, the par-4 18th, but made all pars outside of birdies at the par-4 first hole and par-4 17th to close his round at 1-under.
Petrie had an up-and-down first round on his way to an even-par 71, carding three birdies against a bogey and a double, while Kremer notched six pars, six birdies, including four-consecutive from holes 10-13, five bogeys and a double on his way to a 1-over 72. Hake rounded out the Wildcat lineup with a 3-over 74, carding one birdie against four bogeys in his first round of the day.
Goff once again led the Cats in the afternoon, carding six birdies against one bogey on his way to a 5-under 66 while Petrie notched his first collegiate under-par round, notching three birdies against two bogeys for a 1-under 70. Preston, Kremer and Hake each turned in a 4-over-par 75 to complete the Wildcat contingent.
Through 36 holes, Goff’s 27 birdies are tied for fifth in the 70-competitor field while Petrie has tallied one fewer with 26. Goff’s 5-under-par 66 in the second round was the lowest score for a Wildcat since Goff carded a 7-under 65 in the second round of the Hootie at Bulls Bay last March.
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