I get the great privilege to write this article once again about the men’s Illinois golf team.
The Illini just capped off a great three-round stretch in Myrtle Beach with a victory in the NCAA Regional. Illinois shot a tournament total of 839, -25, which is five-strokes better than No. 2 Ohio State. This victory for the Orange and Blue puts them back into the NCAA Championships as they continue their fight for a national title.
Michael Feagles led the way for the Illini. He ended up taking home medalist honors with a three-round total of 201. His final round 65 catapulted himself up the standings and into first place. That final round 201 was also the second-best score in program history as well. Putting the magnitude of this tournament in context and the score Feagles shot, I would argue this is the single greatest round we have ever seen for the Illini.
The rest of the Orange and Blue played pretty well, too. Adrien Dumont de Chassart finished in a tie for third with a three-round total of 207. At one time, Dumont de Chassart had the lead in the tournament but Fealges took over. A third-place finish is still incredible, though.
1) Michael Feagles (@dafeags) 201 is the 2nd best tournament score in #Illini HISTORY
— Writing Illini (@WritingIlliniFS) May 15, 2019
2) Feagles final round 65 was tied for his lowest round of the season
3) Feagles best finish this season had been T-6th
4) 12 straight years #Illini have advanced to the NCAA Championships ⛳️🏫 pic.twitter.com/NvEicdpGGy
Tommy Kuhl claimed a top 20 spot for the Illini. He started off struggling but continued to improve throughout the tournament. His 74-72-70 helped propel Illinois to their big win. This was a solid performance for a young player.
To round out the Illini team, Varun Chopra threw up a three-round total of 217 for a tie for 25th. His final day -3 was an impressive score. Finishing the tournament at +1 is a really good showing. The final Illini on the board was Giovanni Tadiotto. He is a great golfer who just didn’t have a great showing. This happens in the game of golf. The rest of the Illini were able to pick him up, though. He ended up finishing in a tie for 61st at +10.
This great performance doesn’t come as a surprise to me. This team, while young, showed resolve throughout the entire year. They started clicking back at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate and never looked back. Illinois has now advanced out of the last 12 NCAA Regionals. They will now try to win the elusive national title that this program has been after for decades.