Second Round Results

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Junior Dylan Meyer led the Illini through two rounds of play at the 3M Augusta Invitational on Saturday, as the Orange and Blue are tied with New Mexico for the tournament lead. Meyer shot 11-under par on Saturday to sit atop the individual leaderboard, while Illinois is currently 19-under par as a team. The Illini are two strokes ahead of UCF (-17), who is also among the top three teams.

"We had some low scores today, which was good," head coach Mike Small said. "Those are our eraser scores that we always talk about. Dylan (Meyer) took control today, it was huge. The way he controlled his space, and the way he competed today was great to see. As a team, I thought we made a lot of birdies and showed a lot of offense. But for us to continue to play well, we need to tighten up our game around the greens."

Meyer shot 5-under par through the first round, immediately pulling into a tie for the tournament lead. He posted a couple bogeys to start the opening round, but recovered with four birdies on the front nine. Meyer was 2-under par at the turn, but closed the first round with a birdie and an eagle on consecutive holes. The junior continued his hot streak into the second round, posting consecutive birdies on his first two holes. He continued to hold on to the tournament lead midway through the second round as he was 2-under par through the front nine. Four birdies on the back nine put him at 6-under par for the second round, good for a total score 11-under par.

Joining Meyer in the top-15 individuals, freshman Michael Feagles is currently 4-under par and tied for 11^th. Feagles closed the first round just one shot behind Meyer, using six first-round birdies to tally a 68. Feagles added two more birdies in the second round to close the round at even par.  

Sophomore Edoardo Lipparelli currently sits in a tie for 18^th with a two-round score 3-under par. He started the day 2-over par, but closed the first round of play with three consecutive birdies for a 1-over par tally. He started the second round at even par before carding an eagle on the sixth hole. He also added a birdie before making the turn. Lipparelli once again finished the round strongly, recording consecutive birdies on his last two holes. He shot 4-under par in the second round of the day.

Tied for 33^rd overall, junior Nick Hardy closed the day with a 1-under par tally. Hardy started the day at even par, negating a few first-round bogeys with four birdies. He continued his steady play into the second round of the day, using two birdies on the front nine to negate a couple early bogeys in the round. Hardy added two more birdies on the back nine, finishing the second round at 1-under par.

Freshman Giovanni Tadiotto is currently 2-over par through two rounds of play, tied for 46^th individually. Tadiotto started the day with a couple bogeys, but carded three birdies in a four-hole span to pull back to even par. Tadiotto added three more birdies in the first round and finished with a 1-over par tally, before also closing the second round at 1-over par.

The final round of play will begin tomorrow with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. CT. The Illini will take the course at 9:10 a.m. The 3M Augusta Invitational is being held at Forest Hills Golf Club, which boasts a Par 72, 7,005-yard course.  Ranked at No. 7 in the nation by Golfweek, Illinois joins 14 other teams among the 3M Augusta Invitational field including No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 22 Georgia, No. 45 Houston, No. 49 New Mexico, Augusta, Alabama-Birmingham, Army West Point, Central Florida, Georgia State, Tennessee, USC Aiken and Virginia Tech.

Live scoring is available through Golfstat, and a recap will be posted on FightingIllini.com at the conclusion of each day of play.