OMAHA, Neb. — Former Tennessee pitcher and Bearden alum Hunter Daniel had a lot more to celebrate than just a Tennessee baseball victory in Omaha on Sunday night.
"The word I keep using is 'electric,'" Daniel said.
Daniel watched in a famous Omaha bar, Rocco's, as Bryson DeChambeau won the 2024 U.S. Open less than an hour before the Vols' matchup against North Carolina. He had entered in a DraftKings fantasy golf challenge the Wednesday before making the trip to the College World Series and finished atop the leaderboard for a $1 million cash prize.
"Half the bar at that point knew what was going on," Daniel said. "Every shot, everybody was with us."
The 2012 Tennessee graduate entered the challenge with a $15 buy-in and needed a meltdown from Rory McIlroy to jump to the front of the pack.
"Not a bad return," Daniel said.
He said he doesn't have plans for what to do with the winnings, but he's currently on a family vacation and said he will be treating people to dinner, that's for sure.
Daniel also plans to make the trip back to Omaha if the Vols make it to the College World Series finals, and continue cheering on the team he once played for.
"We're all die-hards still," Daniel said. "Just the fact that this happened while we were out there is insane."
He didn't buy many of Rocco's signature Jell-O shots the first time around, but he said when he's back he'll be sure to add to the tally.
