Oct. 13, 2008
PHOTO GALLERY
Normal, Ill. -
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With one big tournament remaining, it's been quite a fall for the University of Illinois men's golf team. Monday that positive streak continued as Illinois claimed the title at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate hosted by Illinois State University in Normal.
Paced by a 64 from freshman Luke Guthrie, top-ranked Illinois shot four-under par 276 in the tournament's final round to finish at nine-under par 831, 18 strokes in front of second-place Illinois State (849). After a second-place finish in the opening tournament of the year, Illinois has now won three straight tournaments for the first time since 1988, when the likes of Steve Stricker and Mike Small roamed the courses for the Illini.
"To win three in a row is awesome," said sophomore Scott Langley, who won the tournament individually, his second title of his career. "The way we won today was big for our confidence. It's just a sign of the work we've put in and the strides we are making as a team in terms of playing together and holding each other up."
Langley finished the tournament at nine-under par 201, winning the event by three strokes over Illinois State's Kyle Bragg. Langley had one birdie, one bogey and 16 pars en route to a final round 70. He used rounds of 64 and 67 on Sunday to jump to a big lead and held on for the win.
"Today was kind of a grind for me, but I tried to hang in there," Langley said. "It's a lot better than my first (victory) because this tournament we won as a team as well. I played well yesterday, which gave me a little cushion. I tried to focus on playing for the other guys on the team today and I ended up winning."
"His first round was huge," said Illinois head coach Mike Small. "He didn't have his best today, but he fought through and shot even par. That's what champions do."
Guthrie's 64 propelled him into a tie for third with junior teammate Matt Hoffman at two-under par 208. For Hoffman, that marked the second straight top 10. Guthrie nailed a 60-foot birdie putt early in his round, one of eight birdies on the day for the freshman playing in just his second collegiate tournament.
"It's nice see those birdies start to fall," Guthrie said. "I missed some fairways, but I hit my irons well, putted well and took advantage of the opportunities that presented itself. Yesterday I played 34 decent holes and then struggled the last two. I challenged myself to finish strong and today I was able to finish birdie, birdie."
"Luke Guthrie was the story of the day," Small said. " Shooting 64 in the last round took a lot of pressure off the other guys. With the pin placement, this was a tricky course. Luke kept patient and didn't veer from his strategy. Having that showing as a freshman is quite nice. That should give him some confidence heading into the future."
Illinois entered the final round with a precarious three-stroke lead and after slow start was able to pull away from the Redbirds, who combined for a final round 291. Western Illinois was third at 854 followed by SIU-Edwardsville (865) and Loyola (874) in the 15-team field.
Illinois junior Zach Barlow shot a 72 on the 6,681-yard par 70 Weibring course Monday and finishes in a tie for 13th at six-over par 216. Sophomore Chris DeForest tied for 24th at 219 after a final round 76. Freshman Mason Jacobs, playing individually, finished in a tie for 60th in the 89-man field at +19 (229).
"There's some things we need to work on, but I was telling the guys the other day as long we come out every day and continue to get better, we'll be okay," Small said. "Today we came in as the favorite. There is a little added pressure that way, but that's something the players need to learn how to handle."
Illinois is now 54-1 in the first four tournaments of the season. The Illini battle five of the top 10 in the nation and 11 ranked teams overall at the season-ending Isleworth Invitational Oct. 26-28 in Orlando.
