Senior Lukas Euler posted his 15th top-20 finish on the individual leaderboard to lead the Kentucky men’s golf team at the Intercollegiate at The Grove. Euler carded his third-consecutive round of par-or-better to finish in a tie for 13th and pace the Wildcats for the week in what was his season debut after missing the opening tournament as he played on the European Tour.
Kentucky tied for eighth in the 13-team field. Liberty edged South Florida by three strokes to claim the team crown. Purdue, Louisville and Ole Miss round out the top five.
“We are battling hard but success has not come our way just yet,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “I told the guys to keep their heads up and that we will get better. It was nice having Lukas Euler back in the lineup and he played solid golf.
“However, we have to give him some help,” Craig said. “We should have a healthy Cullan Brown able to compete for us in the spring and that will be a huge addition to the competitiveness of this team. For now, it is one day off and back to work as we prepare for the Steelwood event later in the month.”
Kentucky resumes its fall slate with the Steelwood Intercollegiate Oct. 27-28. The Wildcats finished fourth in the event a season ago, with Euler posting his best-ever finish. He was the individual runner-up in last season’s event.
This week, Euler was his usual steady self with rounds of 72-71-72 and a 1-under scorecard. Tuesday’s round featured three birdies on the second, 11th and 16th holes. He’s turned in a par-or-better round 40 times in his career and earned the 15th top-20 finish of his career with The Grove’s result.
Junior Matt Liston tied for 27th overall after shooting a 1-over 73 on Tuesday. Liston birdied his opening hole and played the back nine at even par.
A pair of individuals carded stellar final rounds to move into the top 30 on the individual leaderboard. Redshirt freshman Zach Norris had a 1-under 71 during Tuesday’s action to conclude the first collegiate tournament of his career. He generated two rounds of under par this week. Today’s round featured quite the conclusion with birdies on three straight holes (14-16) to get to 1-under for the day. Junior Allen Hamilton matched Norris’ top-30 showing with a 2-over round to conclude the week. He birdied three of his final five holes, including the 18th for his quality performance. The tie for 30th is the best finish of his career.
Seniors Max Mehles, Fadhli Soetarso and Fred Allen Meyer earned ties for 48th, 54th and 57th respectively to round out UK’s starting lineup. Sophomore Jacob Cook, playing as an individual, tied for 73rd.
In addition to the Wildcats, the field includes Charleston, Cincinnati, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Purdue, South Dakota State and South Florida.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
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Deb Moore
