Hello Illini Nation!

On our Spring Break we began the trip in John's Island, Kiawah Island and Charleston, South Carolina. As we drive to Atlanta, Georgia, for the second half of our trip, I'll give you all a recap of our time in South Carolina! We arrived Friday night and Saturday morning, and the golf began at Bulls Bay. With a warm welcome, we had a very productive practice at "The Farm." The facility allowed us to sharpen all parts of our game for our first event of the trip. After practice, we then made our way to downtown Charleston and had a delicious lunch at Lagunitas Brewery. Sunday was the practice round and College-Am which Jan played in this year with Mr. Jerry Post, his son and another member. We love seeing Illinois natives when on the road. The day was filled with preparation and many laughs as usual! Following the practice round, the course provided an amazing dinner for the teams and all the participants from the College-Am. We all especially enjoyed the banana pudding!

Our first round was a record-breaker! We set a new 18-hole team record of seven-under-par! Grace tied her collegiate best with a 69. We continued to maintain a positive energy going into the second round, battled through some adversity, and finished +1 for the day. The focus for the final round was to stay patient and positive in order to finish strong. We ended up shooting +3, which ensured a third-place finish. Tristyn played very well, shooting -2 in total and finishing seventh in the field! That night Coach took us all to a wonderful and unique dinner in downtown Charleston at Husk. It was extra special in that reservations were made in August! There was a very southern feel to the restaurant where almost all of the food came from local sources.

Wednesday was our last full day at Kiawah Island and we got the opportunity to play at the Ocean Course, where the 2021 PGA Championship will be held! It was very special to play it before seeing professionals play it on TV in a few years. We divided up into two teams for a little best ball match. Swing, Tristyn, and Grace ended up winning at 5 under! The sun was out all day and the wind picked up towards the end of the round to give us the full Ocean Course experience.

Thursday morning was our last in South Carolina. We spent the morning practicing at Turtle Point Golf Course. Before hitting the road for Atlanta, we had lunch at a little local place just off the island. We love to find the local places on all our trips. Now we are making our way to Atlanta, Georgia, via the scenic route for the second half of our spring break. The last six days were filled with fun, laughter, hard work and many memories. We cannot thank everyone enough for the access to facilities and courses! Now, off to Atlanta and looking forward to more good golf!

Go Illini!

Bing Singhsumalee