For three years, he was the kid peering through a hole in the chain-link fence, watching the other boys play, thinking all the while he was good enough to join them, never getting the chance.

Now, Daniel Brumley has been told he is good enough to walk onto the Kansas University golf roster. Academically, he’s a senior. He hopes when it’s all figured out he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Once news of Brumley joining the KU golf team spread last week, it put a smile on the face of many Lawrence golfers. Brumley has been working at local golf courses for the past six years, first at Eagle Bend, now at Lawrence Country Club.

Golfers who don’t know his name would know him as the strong-looking, blond-haired kid who tugs at the bill of his cap, smiles a lot, and has a friendly way about him.

“He can play right there with anyone on that team,” said Barrett Martens, who recently finished his senior year of competing for the KU golf team. “I know he can. I’ve been telling him that for three years.”

The invitation to walk on to the Kansas golf team was extended by new men’s head golf coach Kit Grove shortly after Brumley, playing one foursome behind Grove’s group that day, shot a 68 from the tips.

Brumley, 22, started playing at the age of 8, when his father brought him to the Orchards, the best place in town for beginners to play. At the age of 16, he went to work at Eagle Bend as a cart boy. By 18, then Eagle Bend head pro Jim Kane promoted him to a job behind the counter in the pro shop.

“Jim Kane took me under his wing and taught me a lot about golf,” Brumley said.

He continued to work at Eagle Bend for John Morris until he was offered a job at LCC while taking a lesson from head pro Jon Zylstra.

Brumley said he had improved recently thanks to the pointers of Zylstra and his assistant pros, Eric Magnuson and Bob Darkenwald.

Predictably, given how excited he was to get the invitation onto the team, Brumley was not on top of his game during the Kansas Amateur. He shot 77-78 and did not advance to match play.

“I felt like I had to prove myself,” Brumley said. “I probably shouldn’t have felt that way, but I did. I was pretty nervous and probably put a little too much pressure on myself.”

As a senior at LHS, Brumley usually played No. 2, behind Nate Spencer. Brumley said he decided against accepting a partial golf scholarship to Bethany College in hopes of walking on at KU, but roster limits kept walk-on tryouts from happening.

A sports management major, Brumley said he might pursue a masters in sports administration and ultimately wants to be a PGA club professional. First thing’s first. He’s fired up about getting the chance to compete for his hometown university.

“I was on Cloud 9 for about two days after getting the invitation,” Brumley said. “I’m living a dream.”