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Illinois Fighting Illini golfers set to win back-to-back Big Ten titles

By Rees Woodcock

Jan 26, 2017; La Jolla, CA, USA; A ball hit by Ryan Blaum (not pictured) lays in the 9th hole rough during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2017; La Jolla, CA, USA; A ball hit by Ryan Blaum (not pictured) lays in the 9th hole rough during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines Municipal Golf Course. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The defending Big Ten Champions, Illinois Fighting Illini, are set to take the course on Friday in a bid to repeat.

In 2016, the Illini didn’t just win the Big Ten title, they lapped the field shooting a team total of -26. This number was 13 strokes clear of the runner-up Iowa Hawkeyes. Don’t look for this team to show any signs of slowing down, though.

Illinois has started to hit their stride the last three tournaments. They finished second at the Lone Star Invitational, only four strokes back of champion Oklahoma. The Illini finished fourth at the 3M Augusta Invitational. And last week, they ended up winning the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate. This was a big win for Illinois to gain momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

There were also a good amount of Big Ten teams playing in the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate as well. The Illini beat out Iowa, Penn State, Ohio State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Michigan State and Indiana in this tournament.

Now ranked No. 8 in the nation, Illinois is once again the favorite to bring home the Big Ten Tournament title. With the leadership of junior Dylan Meyer, the Illini should be in good hands.

Meyer was expected to be one of the leaders heading into the season. He was a key member of the team last season that took home the Big Ten title, shooting a three-round total of -2. The first two tournaments of the spring season didn’t go so well, though.

Through the first two tournaments, Meyer was a combined +5, shooting +1 at the Louisiana Classics and +4 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate. But, as of late, his game has been on point and the results have shown.

Meyer tore up the Lone Star Invitational shooting -14 and finishing in a tie for second. At the 3M Invitational, Meyer again dominated with a three-round total of -11 and this was good enough to win the tournament as an individual.

Meyer took home another individual victory at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate. He shot a three-round total of -2. The course played tough but he still came away with the individual title and the Illini went home with the team title as well.

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Illinois is playing well as a team with Meyer leading the way. As they head into the Big Ten Tournament, look for the Illini to play well again and come away with back-to-back conference championships.

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