University of Illinois
Duke Golf Classic
October 21, 2002 | Men's Golf
Oct. 21, 2002
Durham, N.C. - Competing in its final tournament of the fall season, the 11th-ranked Illinois men's golf team is in sixth place after two rounds of play at the 54-hole Duke Golf Classic, held at the par 72, 7,045-yard Duke Golf Club in Durham, N.C. The Illini shot a two-round score of 595, 19-over par. Host Duke and Michigan State are tied for first in the 14-team field, each with scores of 6-over par (582), 13 strokes ahead of the Illini.
Illinois is playing in this tournament without the services of its top player, sophomore James Lepp, who is in Malaysia preparing to compete for Team Canada in the 2002 World Amateur Team Championships. The Illini led the tournament after the first round of play this morning, shooting an opening score of 294 (+6). But the Illini were unable to keep their lead, slipping to sixth after an afternoon round of 301 (+13).
"This is a tough golf course, and we saw it start to take its toll on our team as the day wore on," Illini coach Mike Small said. "Without Lepp, I thought it was an encouraging sign to be leading the tournament after the first round. But we didn't get the job done in the afternoon. We played too loose, and we'll obviously have to come out sharper tomorrow if we're going to move back up in the standings."
Continuing his stellar freshman campaign was Illini newcomer Patrick Nagle. The Pacifica, Calif. native opened the tournament with a 5-under 67, recording his fifth round this season in the 60s. He fired a hole-in-one on Hole No. 8, marking the first hole-in-one by an Illini player during Head Coach Mike Small's tenure. Nagle led the field after round one, and was 7-under through 27 holes of play. But a 41 on his final nine holes moved him into a tie for third individually with a 36-hole score of 142, 2-under par.
Duke's Mike Castleforte leads the 75-player field at 8-under par (136), while Augusta State's Oliver Wilson is in second at 3-under (141), one stroke ahead of Nagle and Virginia Tech's Brendon De Jonge.
Illinois' leader during the second round was sophomore Garrett Chaussard, who carded an even-par 72. Chaussard is in 17th place at 4-over on the day, adding an opening-round 76 to account for his total of 148.
The third and final round of the Duke Golf Classic will be played tomorrow.
Duke Golf Classic Team Standings (after two of three rounds)
T1. Duke 298-284=582 +6 T1. Michigan State 295-287=582 +6 3. Augusta State 298-286=584 +8 4. Arizona State 299-289=588 +12 5. Virginia Tech 299-294=593 +17 6. ILLINOIS 294-301=595 +19 7. Georgia Southern 305-296=601 +25 8. Virginia 306-299=605 +29 T9. Alabama-Birmingham 306-307=613 +37 T9. Coastal Carolina 315-298=613 +37 T11. Houston 307-313=620 +44 T11. Florida Southern 313-307=620 +44 13. Marshall 320-307=627 +51 14. Furman 317-315=632 +56
Illinois Results (after two of three rounds)
T3. Patrick Nagle 67-75=142 -2 17. Garrett Chaussard 76-72=148 +4 T31. Geoff Lound 75-77=152 +8 T43. Mike O'Neal 78-77=155 +11 T43. Chris Dobrovolny 76-79=155 +11
