For the first time in nearly a decade, the Kentucky men’s golf program is hosting a tournament. And the event will honor one of the most beloved golfers in program history.
On Monday and Tuesday, UK will host the first edition of the Cullan Brown Collegiate at Lexington Country Club. The event — named for Cullan Brown, a former UK golfer who died in 2020 — is the first tournament to be hosted by the UK men’s golf program since April 2015.
A commonwealth native from Lyon County, Brown died at the age of 20 from osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer in his left thigh.
Brown was an All-SEC Freshman Team choice in 2019 and made the cut later that year at the PGA Tour event then-known as the Barbasol Championship in Nicholasville.
Prior to his time at UK, Brown won an individual state championship in golf at Lyon County High School in 2016. A golf course in Eddyville, The Cullan at Mineral Mound State Park, is named in Brown’s honor.
“It’s really important,” second-year Kentucky men’s golf coach Gator Todd said of continuing to honor Brown. “We actually keep his locker, as is, in our locker room. We have our kitchen named “Cullan’s Kitchen” as he was a famous cook, I believe. I just think it’s cool for guys who played with him. I just think that they’re all looking forward to next week too and I think it’s going to be an awesome week.”