March 5, 2001

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Strong winds caused havoc on the first day of the Matlock Classic at the 7,065-yard, par 72 Grasslands Golf and Country Club in Lakeland, Fla. The pace of play was slowed down considerably by gusts of up to 40 miles per hour forcing the second round to be cut short. Not all of the golfers finished the 36-holes scheduled for today, so round two will be finished before round three begins on Tuesday morning.

Before play was suspended, the University of Illinois men's golf team shot an opening round of 324. The Illini were in 14th place after the first 18 holes of the 18-team tournament. Senior Tim Riley led the Illinois squad with an opening round of 79. He entered the second round tied for 35th. Sophomore Geoff Lound and freshman Tony Peressini are tied with each other for 54th place. Both of the Illini golfers started the spring season with a round of 81 strokes. Freshman Ryan Tendall shot an 83 to tie for 72nd. Sophomore Evan Olson is tied for 82nd with an 86.

The second round will be completed on Tuesday morning before the start of the final round of the Matlock Classic.

Team Scores					                            Illinois Individuals
1.	Stanford	             298			           T33	Tim Riley		79
2.	Florida Southern	     300			           T54	Geoff Lound		81
	   Alabama	             300			           T54	Tony Peressini		81
4.	Georgia Southern	     307			           T72	Ryan Tendall		83
	   Ohio State	          307	             T82	Evan Olson		86
6.	Mississippi	           311
7.	Old Dominion	         313
	      Virginia Tech	    313
9.	   Mississippi State	 316
10. 	Richmond	            318
11. 	Valdosta State	      319
	      Memphis	          319
13.	Wofford	             320
14.	Furman	               321
15.	Illinois	            324
16.	Kentucky	             327
17.	Middle Tennessee	     334
18.	Temple	               337