By JON WEBB
Matthew Anderson proved himself to be one of the best high school golfers in the state. He will now find out what kind of college golfer he can become.
The Monroe County senior signed a letter of intent to play golf at the University of Kentucky Tuesday.
According to Monroe golf coach Steve Kirkpatrick, several different schools showed an interest in Anderson, including Louisville and South Florida.
Kirkpatrick said he expects Anderson to make a smooth transition into the college game.
“I think he’ll be effective right away,” Kirkpatrick said. “I really think he can step in and contribute at the next level.”
He definitely made contributions at the high school level.
Anderson finished a mere seven strokes away from a state championship in the KHSAA Boys State Golf Tournament last month, tying for fifth after shooting a five-over 149 over two rounds.
The fifth-place finish came in the midst of rain-addled conditions that forced Anderson to play 35 holes on the second day of competition.
The appearance at state was his third in a row.
Anderson was also named Region 3 medalist after shooting a 72 to best the field of 87 golfers, and was selected to the Kentucky High School All-State Team three times.
On top of his high school accomplishments, Anderson has also competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship in New Jersey, along with more local tournaments.
Now Anderson will join a college program that recently tied for second at the Hummingbird Intercolle-giate Tournament in North Carolina to close out its fall season.
Along with the Monroe County senior, Kentucky also received a letter of intent from Illinois golfer Stephen Powers.
Kirkpatrick said Anderson is “tickled to death” by the opportunity to play in Lexington.
“He’s looking forward to playing golf at the University of Kentucky,” Kirpatrick said. “He really likes their program and the facilities they have set up for golf.”
Anderson’s career at Kentucky will officially begin at the beginning of the 2010 NCAA fall season.
“I’m just proud for him. He’s put a lot of time and work into making himself better to achieve his goal,” Kirkpatrick said. “He’s going to be furthering his education, and it’s just a great honor to play for a school like Kentucky.”
