Men’s Golf Posts 4-Under Closing Round, Ties for Fourth
STATESBORO, Ga. – A 4-under par Sunday from Kentucky men’s golf solidified a tied-fourth finish for the Wildcats at the Schenkel Invitational, hosted by Georgia Southern at Forest Heights Country Club (par 72, 7,123 yards).
Three Wildcats placed inside the top 20 led by junior Jack Schoenberger who tied for ninth. The Cats 4-under team total in round three tied for its second-best score in a single round this season. This marks the 10th time UK has finished in the top five at the Schenkel in 25 total appearances. The 5-under par team score of 859 is the best for the team in any event this season.
“We knew we needed a good week to keep our NCAA Tournament hopes alive and the guys really stepped up,” head coach Gator Todd said. “Each guy contributed, and we had all five guys in the mix each round. That shows consistency and fight, and I couldn’t be prouder of the team.”
Schoenberger signed for a 2-under round of 70 on Sunday, marking his ninth-straight score at par-or-better to begin the spring. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native was 3-under for the week overall, his best score this season, and tied for the most birdies in the field with 14. Four of those birdies came during Sunday’s final round, including back-to-back on holes No. 6 (par 3, 130 yards) and No. 7 (par 5, 549 yards).
All three of Kentucky’s freshmen were able to pitch in counting scores on Sunday in support of Schoenberger.
Gavin Clutts set a new career-best for the second time this week with his 2-under round of 70. Clutts made five birdies in his round and closed with a 34 on the homeward nine holes to secure his first collegiate top 20, tying for 19th. His 215 (-1) total was the best of his young collegiate career by eight stokes.
Jacob Lang also had a big week, tying Clutts for 19th on the leaderboard at 1-under par. Lang closed with a 73 on Sunday and now has three top 20 finishes on his freshman season.
“Jacob (Lang) and Gavin really elevated us this week,” Todd said. “For two freshmen to finish in the top 20 in that field is impressive.”
After a rocky round two, Jacob Settles responded in a big way with a 1-under 71 on Sunday. The freshman went out in 34 and made five birdies during the final round. He finished the tournament tied for 57th.
Senior captain Jansen Preston concluded his weekend in a tie for 31st at 3-over par. Preston made par on his final 11 holes of the day en route to a 74 (+2). Kentucky’s individual competitor, Solomon Petrie, was 15-over par for the tournament and placed T72.
Key for the Wildcats this week was the team’s performance on Forest Heights’ par 5s. Kentucky ended the tournament with the best par-5 scoring average in the 14-team field at 4.68. The starting five was 19-under collectively on the par 5s.
Utah was the tournament champion at 22-under par, one stroke clear of Florida. Georgia Southern, the hosts, were third, with Kentucky and Notre Dame tied for fourth to round out the top five. Florida’s Luke Poulter was the low individual at 8-under par.
Next on the schedule for Kentucky is the Mason Rudolph Invitational, hosted by Vanderbilt April 4-6 at Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Leaderboard
T9: Jack Schoenberger (71-72-70)
T19: Jacob Lang (69-73-73)
T19: Gavin Clutts (71-74-70)
T31: Jansen Preston (74-71-74)
T57: Jacob Settles (74-78-71)
T72: Solomon Petrie* (72-78-81)
Bold = Counting score
*Individual
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