Final Results
PALM DESERT, Calif. – Fighting Illini sophomore Bryan Baumgarten earned the first tournament victory of his career on Saturday, also pacing Illinois to a team win at the BIGHORN Invitational in Palm Desert, California. Baumgarten posted six birdies on the back nine to finish the tournament 11-under par. He was joined at the top of the leaderboard by sophomore Giovanni Tadiotto and senior Dylan Meyer who fired total scores of 8-under par to tie for runner-up honors.
The Orange and Blue closed the tournament with a total score 40-under par, and were joined among the top three by Mississippi State (-30) and Colorado (-21).
"This tournament was a total team effort from start to finish and that's important to a coach, when everybody contributes at some time or another," head coach Mike Small said. "The highlight of the day was obviously Giovannni {Tadiotto} getting out first and setting the tone. We always talk about that on our team, that the first guy out is the one we need to set the tone. The way Bryan {Baumgarten} closed out the tournament for his first win and to help the team win was also very gratifying to see. He played with presence and focus the last nine holes, shooting 6-under par to win the tournament."
Baumgarten got off to a steady start on Saturday as he was 1-over par at the turn. He turned on the heat down the stretch, however, making six birdies on the back nine for a season-low 67 (-5). Baumgarten closed play with a total score 11-under par to take a three-stroke advantage over the tournament field.
Tadiotto fired a career-low 65 (-7) on Saturday to lead Illinois and climb the tournament leaderboard. He started the final round on fire with a birdie and an eagle in his first three holes. The sophomore posted four consecutive birdies as he made the turn, and added another pair of late birdies to negate two bogeys on his back nine. The second-place finish marks the highest for Tadiotto this season.
Meyer also closed the tournament strong, firing a final round tally 2-under par. He tallied five birdies throughout the day, helping to negate late bogeys in the round. Meyer has placed among the top 10 individuals in four tournaments this year.
Senior Nick Hardy earned his seventh top-10 finish of the year on Saturday as he tied for sixth overall. Hardy fired a bogey-free 66 (-6) to close play at the BIGHORN Invitational, registering six birdies on the day. He was 7-under par through three rounds of play.
Sophomore Michael Feagles shot 2-over par on Saturday for a total score 5-under par. He tied for 14th overall, earning his fifth individual finish among the top 15 this season.
Freshmen Varun Chopra and Brendan O'Reilly represented Illinois as individuals at BIGHORN this weekend. Chopra closed play with a season-low 70 on Saturday, while O'Reilly fired a 4-under par final round score. Chopra tied for 33rd overall with a total score 3-over par, while O'Reilly shot 6-over par to tie for 46th. Â
THE TOURNAMENT
Hosted by Kansas State, the BIGHORN Invitational was held March 23-24 at Canyons Course at BIGHORN Golf Club in Palm Desert, California. The No. 15-ranked Illini were joined by 11 other teams on the Par 72, 7,000-yard course at BIGHORN, including several teams ranked among the top 50 according to Golfstat. The BIGHORN Invitational field includes No. 32 BYU, No. 35 Kansas, No. 48 Colorado, No. 49 San Diego State, Kansas State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Mississippi State, South Alabama, Nebraska and Washington State.
NEXT UP
Illinois returns to action at the 3M Augusta Invitational next weekend. The two-day, 54-hole event will be hosted by the Augusta Golf Association, March 31-April 1 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga.
FOLLOW ALONG
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