It was a very hot and humid day to play 36 holes of golf, but that did not stand in the way of over 70 amateur hopefuls who teed it up at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond on Tuesday, July 19 for U.S. Amateur Qualifying.  The site provided the difficult test of golf and Mother Nature handled the rest with a heat index of 100 nearly all day. After the first 18-holes, Tyler McDaniel, the University of Kentucky golfer from Manchester stood atop the leaderboard after an opening round of 66.  Hot on his heels were talented Mid-Am Drew Allenspach of Louisville and Morehead State golfer, Will Branham.  2015 Kentucky Amateur Champion Logan Hogge followed an additional shot back along with Casey Gilligan. Scores were tightly knit through the entire leaderboard, which promised for an exciting, and albeit steamy, finish. McDaniel stayed cool under the pressure and heat following his opening round with a smooth 69. He earned medalist honors among the field and his entry into the U.S. Amateur Championship with a nine-under-par 135 total. Allenspach, who participated in the U.S. Four-Ball Championship earlier this year, stayed close behind with a second round 69 to finish one shot back and cash his ticket to another USGA Championship in 2016. Finishing out the three qualifying spots was Hogge, the Morehead State standout also finished with a 69 for a seven-under-par total.  Branham locked up the First Alternate position after a second round 72 and a one hole playoff. Congratulations to these three fine gentlemen, who will represent our Commonwealth extremely well when they head to Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on August 15-21!>