UK’s McDaniel returns to PGA event where whirlwind year began; Ex-Cat and dad tee it up
It’s been quite a year for former University of Kentucky standout Chip McDaniel.
The Manchester native who won three individual titles during his time as a Wildcat and twice won the Kentucky Amateur Championship kicked off his professional career at last year’s Barbasol Championship after getting into the field via a sponsor’s exemption. McDaniel made the most of the opportunity, soaking up the experience of playing alongside a host of PGA professionals for four rounds. He made the cut and finished tied for 60th.
Since then, McDaniel’s star has been steadily rising. He’s played in seven PGA Tour events leading up to this year’s Barbasol, earning his way into three through high-pressure Monday Qualifier tournaments where only the top four finishers advance. He made the cut at the U.S. Open, and he finished tied for fifth place at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship after surging 28 spots up the leaderboard on the final day by shooting a tournament-best 63. McDaniel made the cut for this year’s Barbasol and is sitting at 6-under after two rounds.
“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” McDaniel said of the past year. “I wasn’t expecting it, but it’s been a pretty pleasant surprise. Coming back (to the Barbasol) this year I feel a little more comfortable. I’m just as excited as I was last year, though.”
McDaniel said one of his neatest experiences during this run was at last month’s PGA Tour Travelers Championship in Connecticut. He began the final round in the top 30 but finished tied for 43rd. However, in the third round McDaniel was paired with four-time major championship winner Brooks Koepka, currently the No. 1 player on Earth according to the World Golf Rankings.
“That was pretty special,” McDaniel said. “There was a lot more people than normal watching me. It was really cool on the back nine, it was so crowded and there were so many people there just yelling and screaming. It was something I’d never experienced and I thought I handled it well. I had a lot of fun with it.”
McDaniel clearly was unshaken by the added attention. He outscored Koepka during that round, 68-72. So, did he have any advice to offer the world’s No. 1 golfer after besting him by four strokes?
“I think Brooks is a little too good to be listening to me right now,” McDaniel said with a laugh. “But his caddie was a super nice guy. He told me to just keep doing what I’m doing. It was fun.”
Like every young professional golfer, McDaniel’s ultimate goal is to get his hands on a coveted PGA Tour card.
“I’m a lot closer than I was a year ago,” he said.
But the pursuit of that dream means McDaniel hasn’t spent much time at home in Kentucky since last year’s Barbasol.
“I hadn’t been home for three weeks, came home, then had to leave again for a Monday Qualifier,” McDaniel said. “Luckily I’ve been here all week and it feels great. I love it here, and it feels like home. I’m excited to play in front of my home crowd.”
Stallings and son
Stephen Stallings Jr. missed last year’s Barbasol Championship, but this year the 2011 KHSAA individual state champion from St. Xavier and 2017 University of Kentucky graduate made the field via a sponsor’s exemption. Stallings competed in Wednesday’s Pro-Am tournament alongside his father, Steven Stallings, who played golf at LSU.
The younger Stallings said competing in the Barbasol’s kickoff event on the same team as his dad was a great way to begin the week.
“That was fun. We had some other good guys from Louisville playing. We had a good time,” he said. “I got to watch some good golf from my dad. He made like six or seven birdies yesterday, he was putting it on.”
Beat the weekend heat
Temperatures reached the mid-90s in Lexington and Nicholasville on Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an excessive heat warning for the area. More of the same is expected this weekend, with a high of 95 predicted for Saturday.
Fans who are planning to head to Keene Trace for the final two rounds of the Barbasol Championship will have several options for getting relief from the heat. Each spectator is allowed to bring one unopened bottle of water apiece into the facility. Bottles of water cost $4 apiece at concession stands.
There are plenty of shaded areas throughout the course, but fans can also cool off in five air-conditioned areas that are open to the public. There are cooling stations on holes No. 9 and 14. The Fan Expo Center near the course entrance is also air-conditioned, as are the Drakes and Grey Goose lounges between holes No. 9 and 18. There’s also a first-aid station near the clubhouse.
This story was originally published July 19, 2019 at 7:15 PM.
