July 28, 2010

Hawthorn Woods, Ill. - Illinois junior Luke Guthrie placed second at the 61st Illinois Open, missing by one stroke from becoming the third straight amateur to win the title.

Guthrie shot a final round one-over par 70 to finish the 54-hole tournament at -5 behind only Eric Meierdierks from Wilmette (-6). The Quincy, Ill., native entered the day at -6 and reached as low as -9 after birdying three of the first seven holes, but had trouble on the back nine before birdying 18 and forcing Meierdierks to par the final hole to claim the victory.

Guthrie won the 2009 Illinois Amateur and was bidding to become just the seventh player in history to claim both the Illinois Amateur and Illinois Open titles.

Illinois head coach Mike Small shot a final round one-under par 68 to finish at -2 for the tournament, good for a two-way tie for third. This marks the eighth time that Small has finished in the top three.

Former Illini Garrett Chaussard (+6) and Zach Barlow (+8) tied for 25th and 36th, respectively out of the 156 competitors.

Guthrie and six other current Illini turn their attention now to the Western Amateur, which is Aug. 3-7 at the Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, Ill. Barlow finished second in the event in 2009.

For complete results, see ipga.com