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Illinois Golf: Nick Hardy picks up where he left off in the fall

By Rees Woodcock

Jun 18, 2015; University Place, WA, USA; Nick Hardy hits his tee shot on the 6th hole in the first round of the 2015 U.S. Open golf tournament at Chambers Bay. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2015; University Place, WA, USA; Nick Hardy hits his tee shot on the 6th hole in the first round of the 2015 U.S. Open golf tournament at Chambers Bay. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Illinois golf team has been quite impressive over the last decade. They are continuing that run with the current squad as well.

There is some nice young talent on the Illini team. They don’t have any seniors so if none of the players go to the PGA Tour before their senior campaign, the entire squad should be back next year.

Illinois is led by two juniors, Dylan Meyer and Nick Hardy. Both of these golfers have played well since coming into the program two and a half years ago. They added to the prestige of a team who already was a perennial national championship contender.

Hardy is who I want to focus on right now, though. This week he took home the Co-Big Ten Golfer of the Week honor, sharing it with Michigan’s Kyle Mueller Jr. The Big Ten recognized him with this award for the second time this season. He also won it solo during the fall season.

Stepping into the spotlight has been something Hardy is used to. He came into the program and in his freshman year had a stroke average of 72.9, which included five top-20 finishes that year.

That summer Hardy continued to improve and actually competed and advanced through the qualifiers for the 2015 U.S. Open. He shot a 70 and 75 in the first two days and that was good enough to make the cut. He finished T-52 in that tournament ahead of golfers like Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer and Bubba Watson.

Last season, Hardy continued to play well with a stroke average of 72.78 for the season and was a constant contender for tournament championships. He was one of the leaders on this team and that again transferred over into the summer.

Hardy once again made it into the 2016 U.S. Open but the first two rounds didn’t go as well as 2015. He shot 77 and 73 in the first two rounds but missed the cut by four strokes. The impressive arc that he is on for his career is tough to match.

This season Hardy has been on fire again. He started the fall season off with a first place finish at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate where he shot a total score of -7. At the end of the fall, Hardy ended with a stroke average of 71.25, which was one of his best averages since joining the Illini.

Hardy has now started the spring season off well. Despite the team only finishing in fourth place in the first tournament of the season, he still managed to finish in eighth place individually at the Louisiana Classics. Hardy also put up a 66 in the first round, which was his career low.

Next: Illini can’t find groove at Louisiana Classics

The Illinois golf team goal of a national championship is a very realistic possibility. With the leadership of Hardy and his play, I have no doubt he will continue to rack up accolades and so will the program.

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