SIMPSONVILLE, KY - The battle for the crown of Kentucky golf kicks on Tuesday at the University of Louisville Golf Club. The field of 156 competitors consists of 58 professionals and 98 amateurs and includes a plethora of notable names. 

Despite the recent wave of dry weather, the forecast for tournament week is defined by overcast skies and scattered thunderstorms. Rain is expected every day next week with Tuesday and Wednesday bearing the harshest conditions. Temperatures are expected to stay in the mid-80s all week. 

The University of Louisville Golf Club is consistently ranked as a top ten track in the state by Golf Digest. Various water features, such as small lakes and streams, are used to create natural dangers and do not appear contrived or out of place. While most of the course is open, several holes are routed through woody areas and provide moments of solitary escape and tranquility before spilling out onto open land once again. Landing areas are fairly wide but thick rough, copious water, dense native grass areas, and strategically placed overhanging trees will punish errant tee shots. The par-72 course plays at 7192 yards and features bentgrass fairways and greens. 

Players to Watch: 

Justin Tereshko

The head coach of the Eastern Kentucky University men’s golf team is looking to repeat his dominating performance from last year when he won the Kentucky Open by nine strokes with a final 54-hole score of 200 (-16). Tereshko has been active this year and has competed as recently as last week at the Southern Amateur Championship at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington. 

Trey Wall

Wall was victorious earlier this year at the 110th Kentucky State Amateur. The Murray State sophomore recorded three rounds under par and finished at eight shots under par. Wall was extremely successful in his high school career, winning multiple events and being elected to the Kentucky First Team All-State. 

Luke Coyle 

The Taylor County native is one of the best talents to come out of the state in recent years and currently plays at the University of Alabama. In high school, Coyle won the Mr. Kentucky Golf award in consecutive years (2021-2022) and played on the varsity team starting in seventh grade. Last season, he was the only freshman at Alabama to earn a spot on the starting lineup in three events during the Tide’s fall season.

Billy Basham

Basham played a crucial role for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels during his college career and turned pro after graduating in 2021. He has since competed in the Minor League Golf Tour as well as multiple qualifier events for the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour. He comes from a talented athletic family. His father Greg is a PGA professional and a former collegiate golfer at Western Kentucky University and his mother Kelly was a standout basketball player at the University of Louisville.

Stephen Stallings

The former University of Kentucky wildcat turned pro in 2018. He has competed in thirteen PGA Tour events, making the cut seven times. Most recently, the Louisville native and St. Xavier alumnus played in the ISCO Championship two weeks ago, recording rounds of 67(-5) and 70(-2). 

Andy Roberts

Roberts, the 2010 Kentucky Open champion, is undoubtedly one of the top amateurs in the state of Kentucky. He has found loads of success in recent years, winning various tournaments including the 2016 Kentucky State Amateur, the 2018 Kentucky Mid-Amateur, and the 2021 KGA Match Play Championship.

Ashton Van Horne

The Scott County native is another past champion (2016) returning to the field this year. He was a star for Belmont in his college career, winning three events his senior season (2015) and becoming the first Bruin to compete in the NCAA championship. Turning pro in 2016, Van Horne has competed in both the Korn Ferry Tour as well as the PGA Tour Canada. His professional career thus far has been highlighted by a second-place finish at the Utah Championship in 2022.

Griffin Barke

Barke already has one trophy under his belt this summer, winning the 45th Kentucky Boys Junior Amateur after shooting an incredible second-round 64 (-8). He also led South Oldham County to its first-ever regional team championship last fall. His low round of 67(-5) was enough to claim the individual regional title as well. The 2025 graduate is committed to playing golf at the University of North Carolina - Wilmington. 

Daniel Iceman

Iceman is an assistant professional at Weissinger Hills Golf Course who played college golf at the University of Louisville. Iceman has participated in a handful of PGA Tour and PGA Tour Canada events and has found quite a bit of success at the local level. He has won multiple section events, including four Rolex Assistant Professional of the Year titles, and the 2023 Rolex Larry Gilbert Player of the Year Award. 

Cooper Musselman

Musselman won the 98th Kentucky Open in 2017 in the midst of a successful college career at the University of Kentucky. The Louisville native and St. Xavier alumnus has also played extremely well on the professional circuit, making nearly 60% of cuts across the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Canada, and Korn Ferry Tour since turning pro in 2018. Most recently, Musselman competed in the ISCO Championship two weeks ago where he made the cut and finished T31 (-14). 

Billy Tom Sargent 

The Scott County native had an extremely successful junior career and was named Mr. Kentucky Golf in consecutive years (2012-2013). He played his college golf at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, where he won multiple events and was honored as a Top-15 national medalist at the NCAA Championship his senior year. Since turning pro in 2019, Sargent has nearly fifty starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, PGA Tour Canada, and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, including one top-10 finish. 

CM Mixon

Mixon is a South Warren High School alumnus who finished in the top three of both the 2017 and 2018 Kentucky State High School Championships. He represented Kentucky in the 2018 United States Junior Championship and recorded multiple wins in his junior career. Mixon started his collegiate career at the University of Louisville before transferring to Howard University as a graduate student last year. His college career was highlighted by an individual victory at the 2023 PGA Works Championship. 

Coverage:

Daily recaps will be posted at the conclusion of each round at kygolf.org. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and X(Twitter) for in-round highlights, pin sheets, important announcements, and much more! 

QUICK FACTS:

About the Kentucky PGA:

The Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA) is one of forty-one Sections across the country representing the PGA of America and its Members. It is also one of three organizations encompassed within Golf House Kentucky, which also includes the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF). The KPGA contains more than 275 Members and more than 30 Associates working in various roles across Kentucky, all of whom share the goal of bettering the game and its players. The KPGA and its Members assist with the organization of many chief growth-of-the-game initiatives, including PGA HOPE and PGA Jr. League. The Section also operates more than thirty tournaments throughout the golf season, including the three State Open championships and qualifiers for the ISCO Championship.

Media Contact:

Carter Hammond | Golf House Kentucky | chammond@kygolf.org | (859)333-1098