Kentucky men’s golf concluded play at the Bearcat Invitational in Cincinnati with an 11th place finish on Tuesday.
The two-day, 54-hole tournament hosted in Cincinnati, Ohio, saw 18 universities and 96 total participants from around the country. Kentucky put up a final score of 869, 23 strokes behind the winners of the Bearcat Invitational: Louisville.
Day one of the tournament saw the Wildcats play their first 36-hole day of the year. Through day one, the Wildcat golfers as a team finished tied for eighth.
At the end of day one, both Jack Schoenberger and Jackson Klutznick finished in the top 20 on the individual leaderboard as Schoenberger tied for 12th while Klutznick tied for 17th.
A detail worth mentioning from the top 20 finish was the bounce back from Klutznick as, on day one of the Wildcats’ previous event, the Folds of Honor Collegiate, he finished 72nd on the leaderboard. Back for his second event, he finished with a 74 in round one and a 69 on round two of the day.
The first two-day tournament of the year was not the only first for the Wildcats, but also the first ever collegiate two-day event for freshmen Gavin Clutts and Jacob Lang.
For Lang, the Bearcat Invitational also served as his collegiate debut. Suiting up for Kentucky, he finished day one tied for 52nd on the board as he shot 147 for the day. Looking more in depth, Lang ended a five-over-par on day one, shooting a 72 in the first round and a 75 for the second.
Unfortunately for Lang, as the second day of golf came and went, he struggled to find his rhythm on the green, finding it hard to putt well.
Lang would three-putt on multiple holes and showed visible frustration on the course. The performance from the freshman would ultimately land him tied for 83rd, shooting 14-over-par for the tournament.
Other notable Kentucky finishes at the Bearcat Invitational include senior Jansen Preston, who finished tied for 54th while Clutts finished tied for 67th in his second tournament for the year.
Throughout the entirety of the tournament, Kentucky’s head coach Gator Todd could be seen constantly traveling on his cart from hole to hole checking in on his golfers.
At times, it seemed Todd would only stay still when talking to his players or when he silently watched as a Wildcat putted on the green. Every moment he wasn’t advising players or regrouping with assistant coaches, he was on the move.
Todd, himself, is back at Kentucky for his second year as the men’s golf head coach, having overseen the transfer of Schoenberger and Klutznick, who both placed in the top 15 at the event.
Following the 11th place finish, Kentucky men’s golf will tee off next on Sept. 29 in Lake Forest, Illinois. There, the Wildcats will play in the two-day Windon Memorial Classic, hosted by Northwestern.
