Atkins Golf Club | University of Illinois Fighting Illini
Atkins Golf Club | University of Illinois Fighting Illini
The University of Illinois men's golf team, ranked 13th nationally, finished second in the Big Ten Championship held at Baltimore Country Club. In a closely contested final round, UCLA, ranked 12th, edged past Illinois by a single stroke. Illinois began the final round with a six-stroke overall lead and an eight-stroke margin over UCLA. However, challenging windy conditions affected their performance, leading to a final team score of 843 (+3) after a closing round of 291 (+11). This allowed UCLA, who finished their round earlier, to secure victory with a round 3 score of 282 (+2) and an overall 842 (+2).
Head coach Mike Small commented on the outcome, saying, "We just didn't grab ahold of it and close it out, and that's what happens sometimes." Small noted the commonality of "backdoor wins" in the sport, especially in difficult conditions and with young teams. He emphasized that while adversity is challenging, it is manageable, and the team failed to handle the pressure. Despite a promising start, Illinois faltered in key moments, leading to this narrow loss.
Freshman golfer Jake Birdwell, a key player for the team, showed resilience as he competed in his first tournament within the team's scoring lineup. Birdwell ended tied for third with a score of 207 (-3), earning recognition on the All-Big Ten Championship team. Junior Ryan Voois added strength to the team with a top-10 finish, contributing a team-low score of 70 in the final round to close at even-par 210. Other notable performances included sophomore Max Herendeen at 214 (+4), senior Jackson Buchanan at 219 (+9), and freshman Trey Marrion at 222 (+12).
Preparing for their next challenge, the Illinois team will host an NCAA Regional tournament from May 12-14 at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana. The complete field for the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship will be announced on May 30 during a Golf Channel broadcast.
Coach Small will aim to regroup the team and prepare for the upcoming NCAA Regionals, where they hope to bounce back from this narrow defeat.
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