Final Results

LAFAYETTE, La. – Fighting Illini men's golf earned a second-place finish at the 33^rd Annual Louisiana Classics on Tuesday, closing the tournament with a team total 21-under par. Five Illini earned spots among the top 20, led by sophomore Bryan Baumgarten (-6) who tied for third. Seniors Nick Hardy and Dylan Meyer joined Baumgarten in the top 10 with total scores of 4-under par to tie for sixth. 

Texas A&M took the tournament title with a total tally 29-under par, while Kent State (-13) rounded out the top three teams. 

"It was a solid start to the spring, a lot of guys played a lot of good golf," head coach Mike Small said.  "I'm excited to build on this going into Las Vegas next week."

The third-place finish marks the highest for Baumgarten in his career, and the first among the top-10 this season. Baumgarten shot 1-under par on Tuesday for a three-round tally of 6-under par. He started the day with two early bogeys, but closed the round with three more birdies.

Hardy continued his steady play from the first two rounds as he started out at even par on Tuesday. He recorded the team's only eagle on the seventh hole, but was back at even par after making consecutive bogeys at the turn. Hardy shot even through the final round for a total score 4-under par.

After a 2-over par two-round score on Monday, Meyer came out strong Tuesday morning shooting 6-under par for the day. He carded four birdies on the front nine, including three-straight, and added another three on the back nine. The standout round moved him into a tie for sixth with Hardy.

Sophomores Michael Feagles and Giovanni Tadiotto also shot even par on Tuesday. Feagles closed the tournament in a tie for 12^th with a total score 3-under par, while Tadiotto (-2) tied for 19^th.

Freshman Brendan O'Reilly played as an individual in Louisiana. He shot 1-over par in the final round, carding a birdie on the second hole. O-Reilly tied for 46^th overall.

THE TOURNAMENT

Hosted by the University of Louisiana, the two-day, 54-hole tournament took place at Oakbourne Country Club (Par 72, 6866-yards). The No. 11 Illini were joined by 14 other teams in the field, including: No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 26 Louisville, No. 28 Kent State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss, Sam Houston State, Rice, UMKC, Toledo, ULM, McNeese, Mississippi State, Texas State and UTSA. 

NEXT UP

The Orange and Blue take on the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas, Nevada, next week. The three-day event will be held at Southern Highlands Golf Course March 5-7. 

Stay tuned to FightingIllini.com for the latest on Illinois men's golf and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.