Men’s Golf Climbs Three Spots, Ninth With 18 to Play at Mason Rudolph
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Improving upon their opening round score by nine shots, Kentucky men’s golf posted a 3-over par, 287 on Saturday to jump into ninth place in the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends – South Course (par 71, 7,112 yards).
Starting the day in 12th, the Wildcats climbed three spots on the leaderboard, the second largest jump made in round two behind only Alabama. Through 36 holes, UK sits at 15-over par as a group.
Junior Jansen Preston was the star of the day for the Cats, matching his career low with a 3-under, 68, which featured four birdies. It was the third time for Preston carding a round of 68 in his collegiate career, the last coming earlier this spring in the second round of the Gators Invitational. Starting on the back nine, Preston made three birdies in a four-hole stretch, converting on No. 14 (par 5, 517 yards), No. 15 (par 4, 424 yards) and No. 17 (par 5, 567 yards). The former Commodore, who transferred to UK prior to the fall season, added another birdie at his old home course with a three on No. 4 (par 4, 416 yards). Preston made no bogeys on his homeward nine, posting his ninth round of par-or-better this season, the second most on the roster behind Alex Goff. He is now T-11 heading into tomorrow’s final round at even-par overall.
The graduate Goff also bounced back in round two, carding an even-par 71 with birdies on No. 12 (par 4, 467 yards), No. 14 (par 5, 517 yards) and No. 6 (par 5, 590 yards). The North Carolina native was five shots better than his first-round output and is now tied for 41st through 36 holes at +5.
Senior captain Campbell Kremer replicated his first-round score with a second-consecutive 74 on Saturday. Kremer recovered from a triple-bogey on No. 10 (par 4, 465 yards), his first hole of the day, with birdies on No. 13 (par 3, 184 yards), No. 14 (par 5, 517 yards) and No. 18 (par 5, 522 yards). The Louisville, Kentucky native finds himself T-47 in the 74-player field.
Freshman Michael Hake also posted a 3-over par 74 in round two and was a counting score for the Wildcats for the fourth time in eight rounds this spring. Hake’s colorful card included a team-high five birdies, four of which came on a turbulent opening nine that saw the Brentwood, Tennessee native record just one par. He is now T-67 at 12-over par for the Championship.
The Cats’ low man from day one, Oakley Gee, struggled to find his form in round two, finishing at 7-over par. The redshirt freshman is tied for 56th at 8-over for the weekend.
Playing as an individual, UK sophomore Kevin Watts improved more than any player in the field from Friday, carding a 73 which was 12 shots lower than his day one score. Watts made three birdies on his round, the first of which came on No. 15 (par 4, 424 yards, with two more over his final four holes on No. 6 (par 5, 590 yards) and No. 8 (par 4, 427 yards).
The hosting Commodores continue to lead the tournament at 17-under par as a team, 10 shots clear of Ole Miss in second place. Vanderbilt’s Gordan Sargent is the individual leader at 9-under par.
The Wildcats will begin Sunday’s final round with tee times from 9:20 – 10:04 a.m. alongside Furman and the College of Charleston. Live scoring can be found on Golfstat.com.
Kentucky Results:
T11: Jansen Preston (74-68)
T41: Alex Goff (76-71)
T47: Campbell Kremer (74-74)
T56: Oakley Gee (72-78)
T67: Michael Hake (80-74)
73: Kevin Watts (85-73)*
Bold = Counting score
*Individual
For the latest on UK Men’s Golf follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram @UKmensgolf, and online at ukathletics.com.
