Another NCAA Regional is in the books for the Illinois golf team, and another trip to the NCAA Championships is locked in.
The Illini entered the Stillwater Regional as the No. 9 team in the country and the second-best program in the regional, next to No. 4 Oklahoma State. After the first two rounds of the regional, things were becoming clearer and clearer toward the top of the standings.
Oklahoma State had a two-shot lead over Illinois heading into the final round of the tournament. They would expand that lead to 14 strokes, as the Cowboys would shoot a three-round total of -28 to take home the crown. The Illini would come in a distant second place at -14.
Up Next: ➡️ The #NCAAGolf Championship!
— Illinois Men’s Golf (@IlliniMGolf) May 18, 2021
The 🔶&🔷 close out the Stillwater Regional in second place to secure the program’s 1️⃣3️⃣th-consecutive NCAA Championship appearance! #Illini pic.twitter.com/ksauVLOf0x
Thankfully, the top five teams advance out of the regional. So, for the 13th straight season, the Illinois golf team is heading to the NCAA Championships to try to bring home their first title. This has been a magical run that shouldn’t end anytime soon.
A true team effort for the Illinois golf team
With most programs nationally, they tend to have a strong No. 1 and then the starting lineup drops off from there. An example of this is with Purdue. The Boilermakers finished No. 7 in the Big Ten Championship, but they had Joe Weiler finish second overall in the tournament with a three-round total of +2.
This isn’t the case with Illinois, though. The Illini are exhibiting a true team effort in each tournament. In the nine different events this spring season, four Illinois golfers have led the way for the program. While everyone has played well, the two main staples for the Illini continues to be Michael Feagles and Adrien Dumont de Chassart.
Both golfers have finished every tournament in the top 30 and they have combined for 13 top 10s this spring. That is a run that is rarely seen at this level of golf.
Illinois is now entering the NCAA Championships playing some of the best golf we have seen in years. This team is poised to make a run and get to the match play portion. Look for the Illini to be a serious contender for their first team title in the history of the program.