Writing from Glenview, Illinois
Friday, July 24, 2026
If you liked the pace of British Open champion Ryan Fox, you’ll love Dylan Menante.
The 36-hole leader of the Evans Scholar Invitational could go toe-to-toe with Fox in speed golf and come out ahead. In Friday’s second round at The Glen Club, Menante was sometimes ready to hit his shot before his opponent’s ball stopped rolling on the green.
The brisk pace of the 25-year-old North Carolina graduate, one that harkened back to Chi Chi Rodiguez, was complemented by his sparkling play. Menante added a 7-under-par 64 to his opening 63 and vaulted over Tommy Morrison into the co-lead of the Korn Ferry Tour stop at the halfway point.
Menante’s company at the top is Thomas Rosenmueller, who announced himself at the dinner hour with an eagle 3 at the last for a 9-under 62 for 15-under 127.
“I got a pretty good lie for my drive (on the left fringe of the fairway) and it was a perfect number for my 4-iron,” said Rosenmueller, a 29-year-old German who won this affair two years ago when it was known as the NV5 Invitational. “It ended up 9 feet past it and I made the downhill right-to-lefter.”
Eagle 3, added to eight birdies and a bogey, pretty as you please.
For Menante, who won on the circuit earlier this season, it was his hottest start of the year. He didn’t see it coming.
“That’s just how golf is,” Menante said. “You can practice all you want, but it’s a lot different in a tournament. I’ve hit (only) a couple good shots, so my putting’s saving me quite a bit.”
Menante birdied his first there holes, then went 4-under the rest of the way, including sinking a sidehill 10-footer for a birdie on the par-5 18th. That placed him 127 after 36 holes and shoved him past Morrison, and it could have been better.
“I left a few out there,” said Menante, echoing countless golfers over the last 600 years.
As so often happens at The Glen Club, it was a day to go low, even with a brisk southwest wind that reached 15 mph racing over the lake by the 18th hole. It made holding a second shot on the green a challenge even for the longest hitters, such as Menante, who bounced his long approach into the rough behind the green. His delicate lob out of the deep stuff was almost too delicate, but he negotiated the final 10 feet without incident.
Morrison appended an 8-under 63 to his opening 65 for 128 and is solo third by two strokes over Davis Shore, Ryan Burnett and Jackson Buchanan, who sit at 12-under 130 entering the weekend.
Around The Glen Club
The day was punctuated by two aces on the 183-yard 17th hole. Jorge Garcia, in the morning, and Carson Young, in the afternoon, did the honors. The ace enabled Garcia to hang around for the weekend. He finished at 5-under 134 and made the cut on the number. … Admission is free to those who register at https://tickets.esinvitational.com/e/evans-scholars-invitational-2026/tickets … Northbrook’ Brian Ohr, Winnetka’s Patrick Adler, La Grange’s Daniel Hudson and erstwhile Illinois grad Luke Guthrie all missed the cut.
– Tim Cronin