The first annual Illinois Women's Golf Pro-Am went almost how Ember Schuldt wanted it to go.

Almost.

The Fighting Illini alum finished second in the professional category for the "$100,000 Hole-In-One Shootout," narrowly missing out on the prize. Half would have gone to the team, and whoever made the first hole-in-one would have pocketed the other $50,000.

"It was kind of nerve-wracking," Schuldt said. "There were 24 of us that lined up, and you watched all of them take shot after shot. All the participants and everyone else involved in the Pro-Am watched too."

Schuldt is a 2014 graduate of Illinois, All-Big Ten honoree, two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, and the first three-time NCAA Regionals qualifier in program history. She has been on the Symetra Tour since 2015.

Recently, Schuldt played in the Decatur-Forsyth Classic in Decatur, Illinois, with fellow Illinois alum Samantha Postillion.

Her favorite part of the Pro-Am, though, is the relationships she built with everyone who attended. The Illini Hour, an event held the night before the Pro-Am, where sponsors can meet the team, was a pleasant memory for Schuldt as well.

"It's great to meet all the Illini and the supporters of our program," Schuldt said. "It's so much fun.

"My team played pretty well, too. We had a lot of laughs and good memories."

While the Shootout still looms for Schuldt ("I'm going to get it this year!" she said), it's not what she's most looking forward to this time around.

"I'm just hoping to recreate the fun and the good times," Schuldt said. "I'm really looking forward to this year's Pro-Am."

You can find more information on the Illinois Women's Golf Pro-Am here.

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