McDaniel’s Ascent Leads UK on Day Two of NCAA Regional

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Sophomore Tyler “Chip” McDaniel led the field with a 5-under-par 67 to ascend up the leaderboard into first place overall and highlight an impressive overall round for the Kentucky men’s golf team at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on Tuesday. The Wildcats sit in third place overall with 18 holes remaining at the Ol’ Colony Golf Course in Tuscaloosa, Ala., following a 1-under score on day two.

The top five teams from each of the six regions advance to the NCAA Championship next week, and after day two, the Wildcats are 18 holes from moving on to Eugene, Ore., site of the 2016 Championship. 

McDaniel was one of two players on the course to post a 5-under-par round on day two of play. He moved into a tie for first overall following rounds of 72 and 67. UK’s opening-day leader, freshman Lukas Euler, went low once again after carding a 1-under par. He is tied for fifth overall on the individual leaderboard.

McDaniel was sensational on day two with eight combined birdies on the day. He began his round with three straight birdies on the second, third and fourth holes. A double bogey on the par-four fifth dropped him back two shots, but McDaniel recovered in a hurry by birdying the final two holes on the front nine for a combined 3-under score. He logged three more birdies after the turn and finished his round at 5-under. 

It marks the 19th round of the season in which the sophomore from Manchester, Ky., has posted a par-or-better round. He has achieved that feat in four of his last five rounds of postseason competition. 

Euler continued to shine with a 1-under round of 71 following an opening-day 70. He is tied for fifth overall with a 3-under tournament score. Euler began the day with a birdie on the par-four first. He also had a birdie on the par-four fifth to fire a 2-under score on the front nine. He fended off three birdies on the back nine to pair with two more birdies to finish under par for the day. Euler is in search of his first career top-10 finish. 

Junior Stephen Stallings is in contention through two rounds after he carded a 1-over 73 on day two. He is tied for 11th overall in the tournament and sits at even par for his two-day total. Stallings had two birdies on the afternoon and played an even-par back nine to highlight his round. 

Senior David Snyder is tied for 38th on the individual leaderboard following a 76 in the second round. He had three birdies on the day, including finishing the opening nine holes with birdies on two of the final four holes. Sophomore Cooper Musselman is tied for 66th after three birdies highlighted his round of 79.

The top five teams on the leaderboard hails from the Southeastern Conference. The reigning SEC champion and fifth-ranked Georgia lead the field at 10-under par. No. 17 South Carolina is third with a 7-under combined score. Kentucky rounds out the top three with a 1-under score.

The host Crimson Tide sit in fourth at even par, while eighth-ranked Auburn closes out the top five with an 8-over-par score.  The top five teams from the Tuscaloosa Regional will move on to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, slated to begin May 27. 

The fifth-place team, Auburn, owns a nine-shot advantage over two teams currently tied for sixth at 17-over par. The College of Charleston and UNLV enter the final round needing to overcome nine shots to move on to the NCAA Championship. 

3 – Kentucky (288, 287, 575; -1)

T1 – Chip McDaniel (72, 67, 139; -5)

T5 – Lukas Euler (70, 71, 141; -3)

T11 – Stephen Stallings (71, 73, 144; E)

T38 – David Snyder (75, 76, 151; +7)

T66 – Cooper Musselman (81, 79, 160; +16)