Chambana Sun

Several alumni from the University of Illinois' Fighting Illini golf program have begun their 2025 professional seasons across various tours, including the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf League, and PGA Tour Champions.

On the PGA Tour, Thomas Detry started his year with a strong performance in Hawai'i. He secured a T5 finish at The Sentry in Maui from January 2-5 and continued to make cuts at subsequent events like the Sony Open. Detry is currently ranked No. 59 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), making him the highest-ranked former Illini golfer.

Nick Hardy and Brian Campbell joined Detry at both the Sony Open and last week's American Express event in La Quinta, California. All three are scheduled to compete this week at Torrey Pines for the Farmers Insurance Open.

Thomas Pieters has been active on the DP World Tour since moving from Range Goats GC to 4Aces GC for his third season with LIV Golf. Pieters participated in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic from January 16-19 and is competing this week at Ras Al Khaimah Championship alongside fellow Belgian Adrien Dumont de Chassart.

In the PGA Tour Champions circuit, Steve Stricker showed consistent form by finishing T19 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship held in Hawai'i from January 16-18. This marks his 73rd top-25 finish out of 76 events on this tour since 2017.

Luke Guthrie made a notable start on the Korn Ferry Tour while playing in The Bahamas. He finished T76 at The Bahamas Golf Classic but improved significantly with a T5 finish last week at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, marking his best result on this tour since May 2019.