Snyder Leads Wildcats on Day One of NCAA Championship
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EUGENE, Ore. – Senior David Snyder shot even par to lead the Kentucky men’s golf team to a tie for 12th following the opening 18 holes of action at the Men’s Golf NCAA Championship at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., on Friday. All 30 teams in the field came in over par for the day and all are within 17 shots of one another.
Kentucky is tied with No. 2 Texas and No. 14 Wake Forest for 12th on the team leaderboard. The top 15 teams after 54 holes will advance to Monday’s round of play to qualify for the eight-team match play which begins on Tuesday.
Snyder’s even-par 70 was good for a tie for 16th overall on the individual leaderboard to lead all Wildcats.
About the lineup:
Snyder provided the Wildcats with consistency on the opening day of play. He birdied three of the first five holes he played en route to a 2-under score on the opening nine holes. After the turn, he posted a 2-over round for the even-par score. He was even par for the final seven holes in today’s round.
Sophomores Tyler “Chip” McDaniel and Cooper Musselman carded rounds of 2-over par on Friday. McDaniel was sensational on the front nine with four total birdies. Musselman was even par on the back nine which included birdies on the par-four 13th and the par-five 15th. The duo is tied for 52nd on the individual leaderboard.
Junior Stephen Stallings fired a round of 75, while freshman Lukas Euler posted a 76 on day one. Both players notched a birdie on the par-five 15th. Stallings is currently tied for 103rd, while Euler is tied for 126th.
The Tournament Field:
The tournament had 15 teams tee off in the morning with the other half beginning their rounds following lunchtime. Kentucky was in the morning group and enjoyed a hot start. UK was in the top five among the first wave of teams and even led the tournament for parts of the morning.
No team was under par with Arkansas and TCU capping the day tied for first at 2-over par. All 30 teams are within 17 strokes of one another, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown over the next two days.
Teams will begin play at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday. Following 54 holes of action, the top 15 teams will play an additional 18 holes on Monday to determine the eight-team match-play field. Additionally, nine individuals not on advancing teams will join the field to play a final 18 holes on Monday to determine a 72-hole individual national champion.
Coverage of the NCAA Championship will be live on the Golf Channel May 30-June 1 to feature the individual and team champions. Fans can also follow along with live scoring here.
The Course:
The Eugene Country Club, organized in 1899, is the second oldest country club in the state of Oregon, antedated only by Waverley of Portland.
In 1923, the Young-Ford-McAllister properties were purchased and Chandler Egan, one of the nation’s greatest tournament golfers, was engaged to lay out a new 18-hole golf course. Over the years this course with its natural setting among tall firs and other scenic wonderments developed a reputation as one of the finest golf courses on the Pacific Coast.
During the past years, improvements at Eugene Country Club have further enhanced the course. The new Robert Trent Jones course was made more challenging and enjoyable by the large spacious greens, the addition of a new lake and waterways, and the sparkling white bunkers. The deep, lush grass of the course continued to be maintained in the highest standard by a completely automatic sprinkling system installed during the course remodeling.
The course has hosted the NCAA Men’s Championship twice before in 1959 and in 1978.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s golf team, follow @UKMensGolf on Twitter and on the web at UKathletics.com.
Eugene Country Club
Eugene, Ore.
May 27-June 1
Par: 70
Yardage: 7,014
T12 – Kentucky (289, +9)
T16 – David Snyder (70, E)
T52 – Chip McDaniel (72, +2)
T52 – Cooper Musselman (72, +2)
T103 – Stephen Stallings (75, +5)
T126 – Lukas Euler (76, +6)
