NCAA Championship Bound! Wildcats Finish Fourth at Regional
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – How sweet it is indeed. The Kentucky men’s golf team stamped its spot in the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., beginning May 27 following a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on Wednesday. The Wildcats were one of five teams from the Tuscaloosa, Ala., site to advance to the finals. It’s the sixth time under head coach Brian Craig and the first since 2014 that UK has advanced to the final week of play.
Sophomore Tyler “Chip” McDaniel and freshman Lukas Euler both scored top-10 finishes on the individual leaderboard, while senior David Snyder logged a 3-under, 69, to lead the Wildcats in the final round.
What coach Brian Craig is saying:
“I am so proud of the way our guys played. It was an unbelievably tremendous team-effort. I have to give this week’s game ball to freshman Lukas Euler, however. He really played brilliant golf all week. I also have to congratulate Chip (McDaniel) on another spectacular postseason performance. I cannot wait to get out to Eugene, Ore., and represent the Big Blue Nation with these guys in the finals.”
About the lineup:
McDaniel and Euler both posted 1-under-par scores on the final day of play. McDaniel placed fourth overall with a combined 6-under score for the tournament. It is the sixth top-five finish of the season for the sophomore from Manchester, Ky. Today’s round also marked the 20th of the season in which he has notched a par-or-better score. He has achieved that feat in five of six postseason rounds. Furthermore, he has finished in the top five in both the NCAA Regional and the Southeastern Conference Championship.
McDaniel had five birdies on the afternoon including three of his final four holes to push his score into red numbers.
Euler secured his first-ever top-10 finish after concluding the week in a tie for sixth overall. He posted three scores of under par for the tournament. That is the first time the freshman has accomplished that feat in his first season with the Wildcats. Euler began the day with a 1-under score on the front nine after birdying the par-four fifth. He fended off two bogeys late in the round with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to cap his tournament in stylish fashion.
Snyder saved his best golf for the final day with a team-best 3-under score on Tuesday. His 69 score is the second lowest of the season for the senior from Somerset, Ky. Snyder birdied No. 2 and No. 3 to begin the day on a bright note. Four birdies on the back nine sparked the round, including a pair on the par-five 14th and the par-four 16th. Snyder moved up 13 spots on the leaderboard with today’s round to finish in a tie for 25th overall.
Sophomore Cooper Musselman registered his best round of the tournament with an even-par 72. He had a pair of birdies to highlight his day. Junior Stephen Stallings fired a 3-over 75 and finished in a tie for 21st overall on the individual leaderboard in his first-ever NCAA action.
The Tournament Field:
All five SEC teams advanced to the Championship field in Eugene. Each of the six regions will have five teams advance to next week’s field.
No. 5 Georgia fired a 16-under par score to lead the field. South Carolina followed at 12-under-par and Alabama notched a 7-under. Kentucky was the final team to remain under par with a 6-under combined score. Auburn claimed the final spot in the NCAA field with a 3-over-par score. UNLV placed sixth with a three-day total of 11-over.
Up Next for the Wildcats:
Team and individual medalist titles will be decided May 27-June 1 at the Eugene Country Club. The University of Oregon is the host institution for the 2016 championships.
More information about the tournament will be provided later this week.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
Ol’ Colony Golf Complex
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
May 16-18
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,514
4 – Kentucky (288, 287, 283, 852; -6)
T4 – Chip McDaniel (72, 67, 71, 210; -6)
T6 – Lukas Euler (70, 71, 71, 212; -4)
T21 – Stephen Stallings (71, 73, 75, 219; +3)
T25 – David Snyder (75, 76, 69, 220; +4)
T66 – Cooper Musselman (81, 79, 72, 232; +16)
