LAFAYETTE, Louisiana – Six Illini sit among the top 25 individuals after two rounds of play at the 34th Annual Louisiana Classics. Playing as an individual, freshman Tommy Kuhl sits in a tie atop the tournament field with a score 2-under par after posting rounds of 70 and 72 on the day. He is joined among the top 15 by juniors Michael Feagles, Bryan Baumgarten and Giovanni Tadiotto. As a team, Illinois is in third place through two rounds, with a total score 9-over par. McNeese leads the tournament field with a team tally 5-over par. The final round of play will begin tomorrow with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
"The golf course and the conditions were tough today, but it was a perfect recipe for what we needed this time of year," head coach Mike Small said. "We had some good moments and some good individual rounds, but too many loose course management decisions and too much inconsistent play got the better of us today. Individually, Tommy {Kuhl} played solid all day; as a freshman, it was good to see the way he was able to get around the golf course for his first time seeing it."
Junior Michael Feagles joins Kuhl among the top 10 individuals as he leads the Illini team lineup with a two-round tally at even par. Currently in a tie for fifth individually, Feagles opened the day with a 3-over par first round tally. He used five birdies in the second round of play to negate two early bogeys and close his second round 3-under par. Also among the top 10, junior Bryan Baumgarten is tied for seventh individually with a 1-over par score heading into the final round. Baumgarten shot 2-over par in the first round of play, carding a birdie on the 16th hole. He added four more birdies to his tally during his second 18 holes of the day, closing the second round 1-under par.
Junior Giovanni Tadiotto is 2-over par through two rounds of play, tied for 11th individually. Tadiotto opened the day with a 1-under par tally, recording four consecutive birdies at the turn. Tadiotto shot 3-over par in the second round of the day.
Freshman Adrien Dumont de Chassart is tied for 31st individually with a total score 6-over par, and sophomore Brendan O'Reilly is one shot back at 7-over par.
Playing individually, Kuhl started the day with four birdies in his opening round, helping to negate a bogey on the front nine. He was 2-under par heading into his second 18 holes. Kuhl added two more birdies and an eagle in the second round of the day to shoot even par.
Also playing as individuals, sophomore Varun Chopra and freshman Noah Gillard are tied for 23rd individually with total scores of 5-over par. Gillard tallied two birdies and an eagle on the day, while Chopra added three birdies to Illinois' tally. Freshman Luke Armbrust is tied for 73rd overall with a two-round score 12-over par.
THE TOURNAMENT
The Louisiana Classics will be played in a 54-hole format on the 6,866-yard, Par 72 course at Oakbourne Country Club.The 25th-ranked Illini are joined by 14 other teams in the field at the Louisiana Classics, including Louisiana, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, McNeese, UMKC, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Rice, Sam Houston State, Southern Miss, Texas State, Toledo, UTSA and Wichita State. The final round will be held Tuesday, beginning with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.
Live scoring for the tournament can be found on GolfStat, and live video from the ninth hole will be available via RaginCajuns.com. A recap will be posted on FightingIllini.com at the conclusion of each day of play, and fans can follow along with @IlliniMGolf on Twitter for more live updates.
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