Storylines made for TV set at the Blessings Collegiate

October 6, 2020 | by Brayden Conover of AmateurGolf.com

Brooke Matthews (Arkansas Athletics photo)

The hometown kid, brotherhood, and good old fashioned SEC rivalry take centerstage at The Blessings

Inspiration can come from anywhere. For Kentucky’s Alex Goff, that inspiration comes from a fallen teammate. Cullen Brown, a member of the Kentucky Wildcat golf team lost his battle with cancer earlier this summer. This week, at The Blessings Intercollegiate, Goff is carrying Brown’s bag as a sign of remembrance and respect for his friend. Goff is playing inspired golf this week, and even more so, he’s playing exceptionally. Turning in a 3-under 69 in Monday’s opening round, Goff found himself just one shot back of the leader, Tennessee’s Hunter Wolcott. Then, things clicked on Tuesday. Posting a pedestrian 1-under on the back nine (his first nine), Goff was simply unconscious as he played his final nine holes. Four straight birdies from hole Nos. 3-5 and adding two more birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 before missing a solid birdie chance for a 29, Goff took command of a four stroke lead at 10 under. On the team side, Goff’s Wildcats are just four shots back of Alabama who rode a 6-under 282 to the lead. The Crimson Tide’s Tuesday secured low-round honors for the day on both the men’s and women’s sides. Tennessee separates Alabama and Kentucky from each other as they fell from their perch with a 7-over 295. Notables: Wilson Furr, Alabama (T-9, -2); John Augenstein, Vanderbilt (T-20, +2), Sam Bennett, Texas A&M (T-18, +1); Ricky Castillo, Florida (T-20, +2) More of the same drives the narrative on the ladies side. Arkansas’ Brooke Matthews separated herself from LSU’s Ingrid Lindbland on her home turf. Matthews plodded her way around The Blessings, saving her best for last. The Lady Razorback was just two under on the day through No. 14 before going birdie, eagle, birdie, par over her final four holes to give herself a five shot cushion over Lindbland who sits at six under after a 1-under 71 on Tuesday. Alabama’s Polly Mack rounds out the trio that are under par. Her 1-under round of 71 was consistent as she found bogeys on Nos. 9, 11, and 15. Arkansas (E) leads LSU (+10) in the team standings by 10 strokes as the Razorbacks are using homecourse advantage to their fullest. Star-studded South Carolina lurks just behind the Tigers at 16 over. Notable: Pimnimpa Panthong, South Carolina (T-11, +4);Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, South Carolina (T-11, +4); Jensen Castle, Kentucky (T30, +9)

Results: Blessings Collegiate

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Alex Goff	Kings Mountain, NC	700	69-65-76=210
T2	Dan Erickson	Loveland, CO	500	70-71-71=212
T2	Hunter Wolcott	Burns, TN	500	68-73-71=212
T4	Davis Thompson	St. Simons, GA	400	73-70-70=213
T4	Bryce Lewis	Hendersonville, TN	400	69-72-72=213

View full results for Blessings Collegiate

About the Blessings Collegiate

Storylines made for TV set at the Blessings Collegiate

Started in 2020, the Blessings Collegiate Invitational features men’s and women’s teams competing in a 54- hole stroke play format for individual and team honors.