The success of the Illinois golf team has been well documented over the last decade.
This team has done some special things on the golf course at the colligate level and now some of those talented players are tearing it up on the PGA Tour.
Former Illini golfer, Thomas Pieters, is competing in The Masters Tournament this week. This is the Super Bowl of the golfing world, and he has a chance to compete and potentially win the coveted Green Jacket.
Pieters currently sits at one-over par through the first round. While that doesn’t sound great, Augusta National is a struggle for most golfers. Pieters is still in the top 30 right now and with a good Friday round, he could easily get back into contention.
It is exciting to see Pieters having success on the pro circuit. Future Illinois golfers can see what he is doing and then have those same goals as well. The current Illini team might have a few future PGA Tour players on it right now.
Honestly, the team hasn’t played the best this season through the beginning of March. They didn’t have the same feel to them. They failed to take down a tournament with their best finish being runner-up at the Louisiana Classics. But, much like all great players and teams, they seem to have found a switch later in the season.
Illinois has won their last two tournaments with full fields of talented teams. They took down the Bighorn Invitational by 10 strokes over Mississippi State. This tournament consisted of five of the top 50 teams in the nation including Illinois. The Illini also had four of the top six golfers in the tournament with Bryan Baumgarten taking down the title shooting a three-round total of 11-under.
The Illini then parlayed that into a victory at the 3M Augusta Invitational. They won this tournament shooting a three-round total of 25-under. The next closest team was Houston who shot 10-under. Dylan Meyer won this tournament by shooting 11-under.
Meyer and Company have two more tournaments to play before the Big Ten Championship. After that, it is on to the NCAA Regionals where the Illini look to get back to the NCAA Championships.
Next: Projected Illini starting lineup with Tevian Jones
Illinois is having success at the college level and in the pros. Some people use the hashtag Golf School for humor but it is true. The Illini have turned into a golf powerhouse and they only keep getting stronger.