Men’s Golf Breaks Through, Wins Colleton River Collegiate

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Kentucky men’s golf bested a 15-team field to win the Colleton River Collegiate on Monday, topping Ohio State by one shot for the program’s first win since 2018.

“It was an incredible week for our guys,” head coach Gator Todd said. “They have worked really hard for an opportunity like today. Our motto this week was to play the next shot, and our guys did that for 54 holes. I’m so proud of the way we stayed in the fight mentally and continued to play confident during adversity.

UK finished the 54-hole tournament at 11-under par after going 1-over during Monday’s final round. Jack Schoenberger, who finished as the individual runner-up, and Cole Stockard, who tied for fifth, led the way for the Wildcats in what was the first win for the program since the Gary Koch Invitational in April of 2018. Both players were under-par on their final rounds, with Stockard carding a 2-under par, 70, and Schoenberger coming in with a 71 (-1).

Pars on the difficult No. 18 (par 4, 490 yards) from Schoenberger, Stockard and Jacob Lang, the final three players on the course for Kentucky, were enough to hold off the Buckeyes and secure the victory. The Wildcats tallied 53 birdies from their starting five in the tournament, the most of any team in the field.

For Schoenberger, his runner-up result is his highest finish in his two seasons as a Wildcat and marks his third top five. The senior captain was remarkably consistent all week long, shooting under par in all three rounds and carding just four total bogeys, tied for the fewest in the field. He ended the week at 8-under par, just two shots behind the medalist, Diego Do Patrocinio Lourenco of Memphis.

Stockard, a winner earlier this season at the Cullan Brown Collegiate, earns the second top five finish of his freshman campaign. The Dalton, Georgia native was 5-under par for the tournament and led the entire 92-player field with 16 total birdies.

Lang also placed inside the top 20, coming in a T19 with a total score of even par. He made back-to-back birdies during the final round on holes No. 7 (par 3, 192 yards) and No. 8 (par 4, 425 yards) and was a counting score in all three rounds for the team. It was the second top 20 this season for the sophomore and the sixth of his collegiate career.

Junior Luke Coyle closed with a round of 75 (+3) to end his week at 3-over par and in a tie for 39th. Kentucky’s fourth counting score on Monday came from Jacob Settles, who bounced back from a difficult first day with a 74 (+2) in the final round. The sophomore made three birdies during the final 18 holes and finished tied for 79th at 13-over par.

Cameron Phillips, competing as an individual, concluded proceedings at 5-over par and in a tie for 48th.

Next up for the Cats is a trip to the Eatonton, Georgia for the Linger Longer Invitational, March 20-22.

Leaderboard:
2: Jack Schoenberger (69-68-71)
T5: Cole Stockard (71-70-70)
T19: Jacob Lang (71-71-74)
T39: Luke Coyle (73-71-75)
T48: Cameron Phillips* (73-74-74)
T79: Jacob Settles (80-75-74)
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.