Sept. 21, 2008

Olympia Fields, Ill. - PHOTO GALLERY

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Although Illinois golf coach Mike Small says this is "just a progression of where the program hopes to be," this weekend's victory at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational presented Srixon will likely not fade in the program's history.

In a line-up filled with national contenders, the Illini bettered the field, which consisted of three of the top five teams in the country and seven ranked teams in all, by 11 strokes to capture the tournament title.

"This is a big step for our program," Small said. "They played like champions today. They were not scared. They were not intimidated. They were focused. They were hungry. That's what you want out of a team. This is just another step in our progression, but at the same time this is a huge statement for Illinois golf."

The Illini entered play one stroke behind no. 2 Oklahoma State and proceeded to not only take the lead, but extend it on the front nine. Paced by a pair of 67s from junior Zach Barlow and sophomore Scott Langley, the Illini shot a one-under par 279 to finish at +12 (852) for the tournament. No. 20 Indiana was second at +23 (863) followed by Oklahoma State at +24 (864), no. 5 Stanford at +27 (867) and no. 24 Texas at +31 (871).

Barlow's 67 was good enough for a one-under par 209 for the tournament, which tied Indiana's Alex Martin for the individual medalist. His victory, the first of his collegiate career, came while playing with some of top players in the country. Barlow's pairing in Sunday's final round was like being paired with the Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson of college golf. Indiana senior Jorge Campillo finished runner-up at last year's NCAA Championship, while Oklahoma State sophomore Rickie Fowler was fourth. The duo will be two of the favorites to capture the crown next spring. All Barlow did, though, was post birdie after birdie on the front nine and hold off several hard charges by several players to post the victory.

"Zach is a little bulldog," Small said. "He competes hard. He's worked at his game and his swing and is evolving into a very good player."

Barlow, the 2008 state amateur champion, had six birdies in his first 12 holes and at one point sat -5 for the day and -3 for the tournament. He made a nice chip and putt to save bogey on the 18th to preserve the victory, while Martin also got up and down to save par, to also preserve himself as co-medalist.

"You've got to come out firing," Barlow said. "We were one back going into the day and you have to go and shoot the lowest score you can. That's all you can do. Anyone on our team could have won. That's why we won as a team. It's always nice to win individually, but winning as a team is far more important. To win in front of the home crowd, is special as well. Coming in, I think we figured a top-three would be a solid finish. We maybe surprised even ourselves."

Langley (74-70-67) joined the birdie parade with five in his first ten holes and finished fourth individually at + 1 (211). Overall it was also a good day for the Big Ten, who not only claimed the top two team spots, but also the top four individual places with Penn State's Kevin Foley finishing third at even par, one stroke out of the lead.

Illinois sophomore Chris DeForest had three birdies to his round of 73 and finished tied for 11th at +4 (214). Junior Matt Hoffman (75-73-72) had his best round of the tournament with a 72 to tie for 27th in the 75-man field at +10 (220). Sophomore Clayton Parkhill shot 76 and was tied for 58th at +18 (228) in his first collegiate tournament.

No. 12 Arizona State placed sixth at +32 (872) followed by no. 11 Florida State in seventh at +36 (876). Defending national champion and third-ranked UCLA was 12th at +46 (886).

The Illini, the first round tri-leaders, would have probably had the lead after two rounds had it not been for some stumbling on 16, 17, 18, three of the toughest on the course. In Sunday's final round, however, the Illini played those three holes at a respectable +1 as a team, which included a birdie by DeForest on the challenging 215-yard par three 16th.

"We're starting to learn who we are," Small added. "We're not trying to be someone we're not. Every one of these players has a unique talent and has had to discover and play to his strength. That's exactly what they're doing."