University of Illinois
NCAA Regionals
Illini Open Play at NCAA Columbus Regional
May 14, 2018 | Men's Golf
First Round Results | Live Scoring | Photo Gallery
COLUMBUS – No. 11-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf opened play at the NCAA Columbus Regional on Monday, shooting a team total at even par to sit in third place overall. Sophomore Michael Feagles led Illinois individually, posting a bogey-free 68 (-3) to open play and lead all individuals in the tournament. All five Illini sit among the top 30 individually, and seniors Dylan Meyer and Nick Hardy join Feagles among the top 10 as they are tied for eighth overall.
Oklahoma State leads the tournament field at 3-under par heading into the second round of play, while UNLV is one stroke back with a team total 2-under par. Illinois sits eight strokes ahead of Northwestern (+8), who is currently in fourth after one round of play. Penn State (+9) is also among the top five teams after one round in Columbus.
"It was a good start," head coach Mike Small said. "To shoot even par on this golf course in the first round is solid. I thought we had a good presence and got off to a really good start. We made some putts early and then we got a run going, but we hit a little hiccup in the middle of the back nine. If we're going to contend to win this tournament, we can't have those kinds of hiccups. All in all, to finish like we did after the rain delay and pick up a shot was big. Michael Feagles played solid to earn the eraser score that we talk about, but we are going to need a team effort from here on out. I'm encouraged by what I saw today as we head into tomorrow's round."
Feagles closed the first round of play strongly as he made birdie on the 18th hole following a short rain delay in Columbus. He added two more birdies on the day, good for a 3-under par tally. He holds a one stroke lead over the tournament field heading into tomorrow's round.
Seniors Dylan Meyer and Nick Hardy shot even par on Monday and are tied for eighth individually. Meyer started the day with two birdies on the front nine to make the turn at 2-under par, and he added a third birdie on the 15th hole to negate late bogeys in the round. Hardy also shot 2-under par on the front nine, using three early birdies to negate late bogeys in the round.
Sophomore Bryan Baumgarten shot 3-over par to open NCAA Regional play, while sophomore Giovanni Tadiotto is 4-over par heading into tomorrow's second round. The two sit among the top 30 individuals as Baumgarten is tied for 27th and Tadiotto is in 30th overall.
THE FIELD
Illinois earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Columbus Regional field and is joined by 12 other teams at the tournament including No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 24 UNLV, No. 25 Wake Forest, No. 35 Northwestern, No. 37 Penn State, No. 48 Tennessee, No. 49 Louisville, Jacksonville, Michigan State, Yale and Cleveland.
THE TOURNAMENT
The Illini will play one round of 18 holes each day at The Ohio State University's 7,455-yard, Par 72 Scarlet Course. Tuesday's Illini tee times will begin at 6:30 a.m. CT. The low five teams and low individual not on a qualifying team from each of the six NCAA regional sites will advance to compete at the NCAA Championship at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 25-30.
FOLLOW ALONG
Live scoring for the event will be available on Golfstat, and a recap will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
| 2018 NCAA Columbus Regional | |
|---|---|
| When |
May 14-16 Monday: 18 holes, tee times begin at 6:30 a.m. CT |
| Where | Scarlet Course | The Ohio State University Golf Club | Columbus, Ohio |
| Live Scoring | Golfstat |
| Live Updates | @IlliniMGolf |
| More Information | Illinois Notes | Illinois Record Book | Tournament Central |
