Another tournament is in the books for the Illinois golf team, and another victory is on the board.
After taking home the title in the first three tournaments of the spring season, Illinois men’s golf went on a bit of a “lull”, for lack of a better term. The term “lull” is completely different for the Illini, though. A “lull” for them means three straight tournaments where Illinois finishes in a tie for fifth place, fourth place and second place.
Illinois was able to break that three-tournament winless streak this past weekend with a victory at the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate.
The No. 8 Illini stormed through the field, winning by five shots over second place, Penn State. Illinois went wire-to-wire in this victory, shooting a three-round total of +7. Shockingly, the Illini didn’t have the overall medalist for the tournament.
Michael Feagles and Jerry Ji both shot even par for the tournament, which landed them in a tie for fourth place. Giovanni Tadiotto wasn’t too far behind with his +2 three-day total and tie for ninth place finish.
Rounding out the top five for the Illini is Adrien Dumont de Chassart, who was +6 for the tournament and finished in a tie for 22nd place. Tommy Kuhl was +11 for the three rounds as well, and this was good enough for a tie for 48th place. Illinois also had Piercen Hunt play as an independent, and he shot +7 and finished in a tie for 25th place.
What is next for the Illinois golf team?
The Robert Kepler Intercollegiate ended the regular season for the Illini. Next up is actually the Big Ten Championship, which starts this Friday, April 30.
I would venture to say Illinois is the heavy favorite to come out on top and win the Big Ten Championship. They have played against just about every Big Ten team this spring and haven’t finished behind any of the other Big Ten programs.
But the Illini have struggled at Crooked Stick over in Carmel, Indiana before. In 2019, the Illini played the Crooked Stick Invitational and finished 7th out of 14 teams. No one really played well, with Feagles coming out as the top Illinois golfer, shooting +4 and finishing in a tie for 13th place.
I do look for the Illini to come out strong in the Big Ten Championship, though. Despite struggling at Crooked Stick in the past, the tournament in 2019 provided great experience for the Illini golfers. Most of the players know the course and are ready to take it head-on. I fully expect this to be a big victory for the Orange and Blue.