CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini men's golf is set for its 10th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance this week, coming off of a third-place finish at the NCAA West Lafayette Regional. The 2017 NCAA Men's Golf Championship will be held at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois, May 26-31. This marks Illinois' 25th NCAA Championship appearance in program history, and the 12th under head coach Mike Small.
ILLINI AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
NCAA National Championship Appearances: 25
NCAA Top-5 Finishes: 8
Most Recent Finish: T-3rd (2016)
NCAA Individual Champions: 2 (Scott Langley: 2010, Thomas Pieters: 2012)
Quick Facts on the 2017 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
Schedule/Format: May 26-29, 2017 - Stroke Play: 72 Holes
Friday, May 26: First Round (18)- 6:45 a.m. CT
Saturday, May 27: Second Round (18) - 6:45 a.m. CT
Sunday, May 28: Third Round (18) - 6:45 a.m. CT
- Top 15 teams advance
Monday, May 29: Final Round (18) - 11:30 a.m. CT
- Top 8 teams advance to match play
May 29-31, 2017 - Match Play
Tuesday, May 30: Match Play Quarterfinals - 7 a.m. CT
Tuesday, May 30: Match Play Semifinals - 1:30 p.m. CT
Wednesday, May 31: Championship Match - 2:10 p.m. CT
Course: Rich Harvest Farms; Sugar Grove, Illinois
Par/Yardage: Par 72 | 7,300 yards
Live Scoring: golfstat.com
Twitter: @IlliniMGolf
THE ROAD TO NATIONALS
Illinois is making its 10th consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships and the 25th in program history this week. The Orange and Blue have advanced to the National Championship in 12 seasons under the direction of head coach Mike Small. Illinois owns the second-longest active streak in the nation, advancing to the NCAA Championship in each of the past 10 seasons. Texas and USC have qualified in each of the last 11 seasons. The Illini have finished among the top five at the National Championship in five of the past six years, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2013.
LAST TIME AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Fighting Illini men's golf closed out one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2015-16, falling to Oregon 3-2 in the semifinal match. The Illini finished the season with a school-record nine tournament titles including the program's fourth consecutive NCAA Regional title and its seventh Big Ten Championship title in the past eight seasons. Illinois has advanced to the quarterfinals in each of the last four seasons.
THE VENUE - RICH HARVEST FARMS
Opened in 1999, Rich Harvest Farms has earned many distinct honors, including consistently being named one of Rolex's "World's Top 1,000 Golf Courses" and Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses." Golf Digest also honored Rich Harvest Farms in 1999, by naming it the 5th Best New Private Course in the United States. Rich Harvest Farms is proud of its prestigious list of amateur and professional golf tournaments both past and future. The facility is home to the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, and is the home of the Northern Illinois Huskies golf programs.
The Illini have played at Rich Harvest farms several times in school history, most recently during the 2015-16 campaign. At its last appearance in Sugar Grove, Illinois used a 27-stroke lead to take home the Northern Intercollegiate title and place all six competitors among the top 10 individuals.
Illinois also competed in the 2014 NCAA Sugar Grove Regional, clinching its second consecutive NCAA Regional title with a 7-over par team tally.
GOLF CHANNEL COVERAGE
The Golf Channel will provide pre-tournament, live and post-round coverage of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships beginning on May 29 (3-7 p.m.) when the individual national champion is crowned. Golf Channel's coverage also will include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on Tuesday, May 30 (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 3-7 p.m.) and Wednesday, May 31 (3-7 p.m.).
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
As a team, the Illini check in at No. 7 on the weekly Golfstat report, and the Orange and Blue will be the No. 7 seed to kick off the NCAA Championships. Individually, Illinois boasts two players among the top 20 as junior Dylan Meyer ranks 10th and Nick Hardy checks in at No. 20. Sophomore Edoardo Lipparelli comes in at No. 91 as well. Hardy and Meyer rank among the top 20 according to Golfweek as well as they check in at Nos. 12 and 16, respectively. Meyer is currently the 4th-ranked amateur in the world, according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and Hardy is ranked at No. 20.
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