STILLWATER, Okla. – Fighting Illini men's golf opened play at the 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Championships on Friday at Karsten Creek Golf Club. Due to inclement weather in the area, first round tee times were delayed for over three hours, and the opening round was suspended for darkness at 8:38 p.m. The Illini are currently 4-over par as a team, through 10-14 holes, and will resume first-round action at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Second round tee times are set to begin at 8 a.m., and Illinois' second round tee times will begin at 8:55 a.m. off of the first tee.
Illini senior Nick Hardy is currently leading the squad as he is at even par through 10 holes. Hardy birdied consecutive holes before making the turn to negate early bogeys on his first two holes.
Sophomores Bryan Baumgarten and Michael Feagles sit 1-over par through 12 and 13 holes, respectively. Baumgarten shot 2-over par to start the day, and added a birdie after making the turn.
Senior Dylan Meyer and sophomore Giovanni Tadiotto both sit 2-over par heading into resumption of play tomorrow morning.
THE TOURNAMENT
The 2018 NCAA Men's Golf Championships are being held on the Par 72, 7,460-yard course at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The tournament format will feature four rounds of stroke play, with the field being narrowed to 15 teams after 54 holes are played. An individual champion will be determined following the final round of stroke play, and the top eight teams will advance to the match play portion of the championship. Match play quarterfinals and semifinals will be held on May 29, and the final match will take place on May 30.
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 28 (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 29 (10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 3-7 p.m.) and Wednesday, May 30 (3-7 p.m.). In addition, Golf Central will feature combined pre-and post-event live news coverage produced on location, as well as daily news updates on Morning Drive and Golf Channel Digital.
FOLLOW THE ILLINI
Live scoring for the NCAA Golf Championships is available via Golfstat, and a recap will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play. Fans can follow the Illini on Twitter and Instagram for even more live updates.
