Champaign, Ill. - Illinois will be in search of its sixth Big Ten title in seven years this weekend at the 2015 Big Ten Championships at Victoria National in Newburgh, Ind. Head coach Mike Small has the unique distinction of winning one Big Ten Championship as a player (1988) and five as a coach.
Junior Charlie Danielson will defend his medalist honors this year, as he marks the fourth consecutive Illini to earn medalist honors at the Championship.
The Illini have won a record six regular season tournaments this season, taking titles at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invite, Wolf Run Intercollegiate, Sagamore Fall Preview, Big Ten Match Play Championship, Louisiana Classics and the Boilermaker Invitational.
TRIO CONTINUES TO LEAD ILLINI INTO POSTSEASON
For the second year in a row, the Illini trio of Brian Campbell, Thomas Detry and Charlie Danielson has continued to lead the team through the season. Campbell (71), Danielson (70.5) and Detry (70.26) all carry season stroke averages at or under 71, just one season after Campbell set the new all-time season stroke average record at 71.08.
The three have combined to play 58 rounds under par this season, earning 16 top-five individual finishes with five of those being individual champion titles.
Should one of the three earn medalist honors this weekend, it will mark the fifth- straight individual medalist from Illinois. Danielson split the title last season after Luke Guthrie took the honors in 2011 and 2012, and Thomas Pieters won the tourna- ment in 2013. It marks only the fourth time in conference history (since 1920) that the same school produced an individual medalist in four or more consecutive seasons (Michigan, 1932-36; Purdue, 1956-60; Ohio State, 1976-79).
Illinois Big Ten Medalists (16)
Year Player (site)
2014 Charlie Danielson (French Lick, Ind.)
2013 Thomas Pieters (French Lick, Ind.)
2012 Luke Guthrie (French Lick, Ind.)
2011 Luke Guthrie (West Lafayette, Ind.)
1999 Larry Nuger (West Lafayette, Ind.)
1993 Jamie Fairbanks (Bloomington, Ind.)
1989 Steve Stricker (Madison, Wis.)
1988 Steve Stricker (Savoy, Ill.)
1986 Steve Stricker (East Lansing, Mich.)
1982 Mike Chadwick (West Lafayette, Ind.)
1962 Mike Toliuszis (Savoy, Ill.)
1942 James McCarthy (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
1941 Alex Welsh (Lake Forest, Ill.)
1931 Richard Martin (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
1930 Richard Martin (Wilmette, Ill.)
1923 R.E. Rolfe (Evanston, Ill.)
CLEANING UP THE B1G AWARDS
For the fourth consecutive year, Illinois golfers have recorded the most Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors in the league, earning nine. Brian Campbell was the team's first honoree this season, and he finishes the year with two nods. Thomas Detry dominated the award list, winning five golfer of the week honors. Charlie Danielson also joins the honorees as he won on Oct. 22 and April 22. Not only do the seven honors mark the most won by any Big Ten team this season, but the most for any Big Ten team since the league began distributing golfer of the week honors in both the fall and spring seasons.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
The Illini are coming off of a very successful performance at the Boilermaker Invitational last weekend. Illinois pulled in the team trophy as well as the top four individual awards. Winning the tournament by 32 strokes, Illinois carded a score of 829 good for 35-under par. The number is the second-lowest 54-hole total in team history. Not only that, but the team's 268 second-round tally tied the lowest 18-hole total in school history as well.
SUCCESS UNDER COACH SMALL
Head coach Mike Small has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year six times overall during his 14-year tenure as Illinois head coach. Along with his streak of five consec- utive titles (2009-13), Illinois posted three straight runner-up finishes from 2002-04 and took third in 2008 with Small at the helm.
THE BIG TEN FIELD IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Illinois is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in both the latest GolfWeek/Sagarin rankings and the Golfstat NCAA Poll. The Illini come in at No. 2 on the Golfweek poll and No. 4 overall in GolfStat. Iowa and Michigan both make appearances in the GolfWeek rankings at Nos. 44 and 49, respectively. The Golfstat rankings list the rest of the league as follows: Iowa (45), Michigan (50), Ohio State (54), Purdue (59), Northwestern (72), Penn State (59), Northwestern (72), Penn State (76), Maryland (77), Michigan State (89), Minnesota (100), Wisconsin (129), Indiana (164), Nebraska (173) and Rutgers (206).
Individually, Thomas Detry and Charlie Danielson rank among the top-20 golfers in the nation according to GolfWeek. Detry ranks eighth overall while Danielson sits at 12th. Senior Brian Campbell is ranked 22nd in the country as well. The three Illini stand as the only three Big Ten golfers to rank among the top-50.
THE VENUE - VICTORIA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB
Twice named among the top-50 courses in America by Golf Digest, Victoria National is challenging yet fair, the water and native grasses never fail to surprise. The course is 7,239 yards from the professional tees. Victoria National is the host site of the PGA TOUR Web.com United Leasing Championship and has hosted the 2006 USGA Senior Amateur Championship and received high acclaim from the event's competitors, planners, and guests.
DETRY NAMED TO TEAM EUROPE FOR 2014 PALMER CUP... AGAIN
Thomas Detry was selected to the 2015 Palmer Cup team, as announced on April 17. Detry will join the European squad for the second consecutive year. Once again, Detry joins former Illini Thomas Pieters and Scott Langley on the prestigious list of participants in the Palmer Cup. Langley played for Team USA in 2010, while Pieters played for the European side in 2012. The Ryder Cup-style event for college golfers will take place June 12-14 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
ILLINI MAKE NOISE IN PROFESSIONAL GOLF
Illinois boasts six former players on two of professional golf's top tours, as Steve Stricker, D.A. Points, Luke Guthrie, Joe Affrunti and Scott Langley hold PGA Tour cards and Thomas Pieters is a member of the European Tour. Stricker recently closed play at the Masters, finishing T-28. Points has two top-30 finishes this season, while Langley is coming off of a 1-over par performance at the RBC Heritage Cup. Guthrie also finished 1-over par the Heritage Cup and has two top-20 finishes under his belt this season. Affrunti has competed in five events this season and will play in the Zurich Cup this weekend after suffering an injury that kept him out of the game last season.
