Stallings Shines on Final Day at Crooked Stick, UK Finishes Fourth
CARMEL Ind. – Junior Stephen Stallings earned his second-consecutive top-20 finish to help the Kentucky men’s golf team conclude the Crooked Stick Intercollegiate in strong fashion. Stallings fired a 1-over par, 73, on the final day of play to push into the top 20 on the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Tyler ‘Chip’ McDaniel placed second overall marking his third-straight top-five finish to begin the 2015-16 season. Sophomore Cooper Musselman also finished among the top 20 players, his first top-20 outing of the season as UK closed out the tournament in fourth place overall. It’s the first time the Wildcats have strung together three-straight top-five finishes since the start of the 2013-14 season.
What head coach Brian Craig is saying:
“I love this team and can’t wait until we put it all together. We are super competitive right now, and not playing anywhere close to our potential. It was a tough day for Chip McDaniel, but he showed the dominating golf he is capable of yesterday. His skills speak for themselves, but it is his attitude and competitive spirit that stands out the most. He will learn from this and get better. You can bank on that.”
The Starting Lineup:
Stallings put together his best round of the tournament with a team-best score of 73 on the final day of action. He ascended 17 spots on the leaderboard with his strong finish to help propel the Wildcats to their fourth place finish. Stallings shot a one-under par, 35, on the back nine – birding the par-three, 13 to lead the way. It is his second-consecutive top-20 finish after logging a ninth place finish at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Collegiate Cup.
McDaniel garnered his third-consecutive top-five finish with a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship course. He has logged a par or better round in six of the nine rounds he has played thus far in his sophomore campaign.
Musselman posted his first top-20 finish of the season behind a final round of 78 today. He had a pair of birdies on the front nine to highlight his round of action.
Freshman Lukas Euler surged ahead on the leaderboard by 11 strokes with a final round of 3-over par, 75, over the last 18 holes of play. Euler had a team-high four birdies on the afternoon, including three on the back nine. Senior David Snyder finished in a tie for 51st.
The Tournament Field:
Top-ranked Illinois took home the tournament title with a 2-over par combined score. Purdue placed second, while Duke finished third. The Wildcats earned the fourth-place finish, while Xavier finished in fifth place. With the top-five finish, Kentucky has garnered three-consecutive top-five finishes to open the 2015-16 season. It’s the first time since the first six tournaments of the 2013-14 season that UK has strung together three top-five finishes in a row.
Up Next for the Wildcats:
Kentucky will wrap-up fall competition Oct. 26-27 at the The Grove Intercollegiate. The tournament will take place on The Grove course in College Grove, Tenn.
