LOUDON, Tenn. – Kentucky men’s golf steadied on the back nine to hold on to sixth place Sunday at the Visit Knox Collegiate at Tennessee National Golf Club (par 70, 7,201 yards).
UK was 11-over par as a team for the final round, and 13-over par on the tournament, taking sixth among the 16 competing teams in the squad’s first tournament of the fall.
“I thought our guys did a good job hanging in there in some tough conditions today,” head coach Gator Todd said. “To finish sixth in this field without our best stuff is a huge improvement from last year.”
After Kentucky’s four counting scorers were 11-over collectively on their first nine holes of the day, the group righted the ship on the homeward nine by going even-par, finishing three shots clear of East Tennessee State. In all, UK’s six players made just three total birdies on the front nine on Sunday before rattling off a combined 11 birdies on the back nine.
Luke Coyle and Jacob Lang led the way for the Cats, with both players finishing tied for 15th overall at 1-under par total. For Coyle, a junior transfer from the University of Alabama, it marks the highest individual finish of his college career. Lang, meanwhile, finished with the fewest strokes in a 54-hole event of his UK career and matched his second-best performance in relation to par. He led the team with 13 birdies on the week, tied for the fifth most in the 90-player field.
“Luke [Coyle] and Lang carried us all week and really stepped up in a big way,” Todd said. “Finishing in the Top 15 in a field like this shows they can compete with the best.”
On a difficult final day, it was individual Charles Cauthen with the low round for the Wildcats, going out early in the morning and posting an even par card of 70. Cauthen was 2-under on Tennessee National’s back-nine for the second day in a row, finishing his first collegiate event in a tie for 49th at 8-over par total.
Jack Schoenberger matched Cauthen, also placing T49 after a final round of 76 (+6). Freshman Cole Stockard was 1-under par on his final nine holes to shoot 73 (+3) on Sunday and tie for 57th in his debut tournament at 9-over par. Jacob Settles ended the week tied for 81st at 18-over par.
Tennessee, the host school, won the event at 19-under par. Chase Cline of Charlotte and Reed Lotter of Tennessee tied for individual honors at 7-under on the tournament.
Next up for the Cats is a return to the Bearcat Invitational, hosted by the University of Cincinnati at Coldstream Country Club, Sept. 15-16.
Leaderboard:
T15: Luke Coyle (66-72-71)
T15: Jacob Lang (68-70-71)
T49: Jack Schoenberger (70-72-76)
T49: Charles Cauthen* (75-73-70)
T57: Cole Stockard (70-76-73)
T81: Jacob Settles (74-74-80)
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.
