(UKAthletics.com photo)
Former Lyon County standout Cullan Brown is tied for fourth after one round at the Southeastern Conference Golf Championship.
Making his collegiate postseason debut, Brown fired a 3-under-par 67 on the Sea Island Golf Clubs Seaside Course on St. Simons Island in Georgia.
Senior teammate Max Mehles also shot a 67 over the first 18 holes, helping Kentucky earn a tie for third place in the team standings.
According to UKAthletics.com, Kentucky’s round of 275 to open postseason play is the lowest of the season and is tied for the seventh-lowest round under head coach Brian Craig during his tenure.
“Max Mehles and Cullan Brown were awfully solid today,” Craig said. “They did a great job of leading the team on day one. We have a long ways to go, but this is a good start. We will keep giving it our best shot going forward.”
With Mehles and Brown going low, Kentucky finished the day tied with Ole Miss for third at 5-under. No. 13 Auburn and No. 16 Georgia are the leaders in the clubhouse through 18 holes at 8-under. Fourth-ranked Vanderbilt is fifth at 3-under par.
Brown began his round with a par before birdying the par-four 11th. He pushed his round to 2-under with a birdie at the 13th. He bogeyed the par-four 14th, but fired back with birdies on three successive holes at the 15th, 16th and 17th. Brown made the turn at 4-under par. Another red number, this time at the par-four second, moved his round to 5-under par. He suffered miscues on consecutive holes at the fourth and fifth, but again combated it with a birdie at the par-five seventh to get back to 3-under. He parred the final two holes to get into the clubhouse with a 67 and a tie for fourth on the individual leaderboard.
Wednesday’s round marked the first of three days of 54 holes of stroke play. The top eight teams following the conclusion of Friday’s third round will compete in match play. A champion will be crowned on Sunday.
This marks the 19th year for the SEC Championship to be contested on the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. The SEC has conducted its annual championship on St. Simons Island since 2001. Since 1927, the Sea Island Golf Club has enjoyed a legacy as one of America’s premier golf clubs.
(Information from UKAthletics.com)
