Final Results
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Fighting Illini men's golf finished in fifth place overall at the 2017 OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, led by senior Nick Hardy who finished 7-under par and in second place. Sophomore Michael Feagles also finished among the top 15 individuals, closing the tournament with a score of 2-over par. Illinois shot 6-over par on Sunday, closing the tournament 13-over. Texas A&M (-3) won the tournament title, while Alabama (+6) and Oklahoma State (+10) round out the top three teams.
"With the strength of this field and this tough golf course, to earn a top-five finish is not the end of the world," head coach Mike Small said. "I thought we played pretty well for two-and-a-half days. I thought on the front nine today, we came out a little flat. With this field, on this golf course, if you don't come out on point it's going to beat you up. We only had two birdies on the front nine, but on the back nine, I'm proud of the team for coming back and finishing off the round to salvage a top -five finish. Nick {Hardy} had a great tournament. It was a strong start to the season and he looked good all week. He was a big part of our success; he carried us this week. Michael Feagles also played a good tournament. We have to get our drop scores and our four score a little stronger moving forward, but for the first event of the year it's not all bad."
Earning his first top-five finish of the season, Hardy closed the tournament 7-under par after finishing 1-under par on Sunday. He used three birdies on the back nine to negate two early bogeys in the round.
Feagles carded Illinois' only eagle of the tournament during Sunday's final round, also using back-to-back birdies on the front nine to close the day at even par. He was 2-over par through three rounds and tied for 15th individually.
Senior Dylan Meyer shot 5-over par on Sunday to close the tournament 8-over par in a tie for 30th. Freshman Brendan O'Reilly finished the tournament 12-over par after shooting 2-over par on Sunday afternoon. O'Reilly posted three birdies on the back nine to finish the tournament on a high note.
Sophomore Bryan Baumgarten shot 5-over par on Sunday for a total tally 13-over par.
Playing as an individual, sophomore Giovanni Tadiotto finished the tournament tied for 39th. He shot 10-over par on Sunday for a total tournament score 9-over. Freshman Varun Chopra shot 26-over par through the tournament to tie for 76th.
The OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational was held on the 7,353-yard, Par 70 North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club and featured some of the nation's toughest competition. Â The 2017 tournament field included 13 programs ranked or receiving votes in the Golfweek Bushnell Preseason Coaches Poll. In addition to the No. 5-ranked Illini, the field included No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Baylor, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 USC, No. 12 UNLV, No. 14 Stanford, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 19 Alabama and No. 20 Florida State. Receiving votes in the poll, California, North Carolina and Northwestern will also appear at Olympia Fields in addition to Indiana and Navy.
Next up, the Illini will prepare for the Bearcat Invitational in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 25-26. Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois men's golf.
