The Kentucky men’s golf team finished the opening round of the 2019 Athens Regional at 10-over par and in a tie for sixth place, two strokes back from one of the coveted top-five spots needed to advance to the NCAA Championship. Senior Max Mehles helped pace the Wildcats with four birdies over the span of five holes on the back nine.
Mehles went 5-over on the front nine, but picked up steam on the back half and went 3-under to finish 2-over on the day. He is in a tie for 21st heading into the second round.
“We talked about positive body language and just competing this week,” UK head coach Brian Craig said. “That is exactly what Max Mehles did after a tough start. What tremendous character he showed to lead the team. Overall, we had an okay day. I definitely think we have better rounds in us and can’t wait to go compete tomorrow.”
Junior Matt Liston also finished with a 2-over 73. That marks the third time he has shot a 73 or better in his last four rounds of stroke play. Liston was able to find some success in the middle parts of the round, birding three times in a span of seven holes. Mehles and Liston are tied for 21st heading into round two.
Senior Lukas Euler was 1-under through eight, but bogeys on nine, 10, 12 and 18 led him to his 3-over 74 for the day. Senior Fred Allen Meyer also found the best part of his round to be on the middle holes, as he birdied holes seven, 11 and 12. Meyer was a consistent 37, 37 to end with a 3-over 74 and is tied with Euler at 32nd. Freshman Cullan Brown ended in a tie for 66th.
Play will resume at 7:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday at the University of Georgia Golf Course. To reach the NCAA Championship in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Kentucky will have to finish in the top five in the regional. The Wildcats currently sit two strokes behind Memphis, who is fifth. Live stats are available via golfstat.com.
The host Georgia Bulldogs led the field at even par and are two strokes ahead of Vanderbilt. Duke (+5), Tennessee (+6) and the Tigers (+8) round out the top five.
Kentucky was in a similar position at the Bryan Regional last year, after finishing the first round in eighth and five strokes off the top five. The Wildcats would go on to finish fifth and advance to the NCAA Championship with some final round heroics.
The NCAA Regional field is comprised of 81 teams and 45 individuals and will compete in six regional sites, May 13-15 (13 teams and 10 individuals at three regionals and 14 teams and five individuals at three regionals). Thirty teams and six individuals will advance from regional sites to the National Championship to be played May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The six regional sites include Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Washington, hosted by Washington State University; Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford University; TPC Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, hosted by Coastal Carolina University and Myrtle Beach Regional Sports Alliance; University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by the University of Louisville; University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Georgia, hosted by the University of Georgia; and University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas, hosted by the University of Texas.
The University of Georgia Golf Course opened in 1968 with the purpose of supporting the university community and a collegiate golf program. Over the years the course has become an important recreation facility not only for the University, but for the state of Georgia as a whole.
Avid golfer Dr. Omer C. Aderhold served as the University of Georgia’s President from 1950-67 and was a driving force behind the creation of the UGA Golf Course.
The University already owned the land and Dr. Aderhold was a personal friend of Robert Trent Jones Sr., the golf course’s architect. In addition, UGA students were so interested in having a golf course that they agreed to pay for it in their student activity fees over a five-year period during the 1960s.
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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For more information contact:
Deb Moore