Final Results
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Fighting Illini men's golf earned a runner-up team finish at the 2019 Hawkeye Invitational on Sunday, firing a third-round tally 11-under par to close play with a total score 37-under par. Illinois' 54-hole tally of 815 marks the third-lowest 54-hole score in school history. All five Illini finished among the top 11 individuals in the tournament field, led by sophomore Varun Chopra who tied for fourth with a career-low 203 (-10).
"I really liked the way our guys played this week," head coach Mike Small said. "To shot 37-under par and not win a tournament, you have to take the hat off to the home team. I thought we handled the golf course and the tricky greens well, and a lot was accomplished this week, heading into the post season. We have been looking for depth all year, and to have five guys finish in the top 11 in this event is another positive at this time in the season."
Chopra continued his strong play for the Illini on Sunday, posting consecutive birdies on his second and third holes of the day. He added another birdie before making the turn, helping to negate a bogey on the ninth hole. Chopra shot even par on the back nine, finishing the day at 2-under par. He was 10-under par in total to earn his first-career top-five finish.
Freshman Adrien Dumont de Chassart shot 1-under par on Sunday afternoon, closing the tournament at 8-under par in total to tie for seventh. He has finished among the top 10 individuals in four tournaments this year.
Bryan Baumgarten was solid for Illinois on Sunday, using a 5-under par third-round tally to move into the top 10 individuals. The junior hit a hot streak on the back nine, recording three birdies and an eagle in a five-hole stretch. Baumgarten closed the day with five birdies overall.
Juniors Michael Feagles and Giovanni Tadiotto tied for 11th in the tournament, with total scores at 5-under par. Feagles started his final round posting three consecutive birdies before making the turn. He added two more birdies on the back nine, which helped to negate early bogeys on the day.
Tadiotto shot even par on Sunday, using two birdies to negate two bogeys for the day. He has finished among the top 15 individuals in six tournaments this season.
THE TOURNAMENT
 A two-day, 54-hole event, the Hawkeye Invitational was hosted by University of Iowa at Finkbine Golf Course (Par 71, 6,884-yards). The Orange and Blue were one of 13 teams in the tournament field, which includes Big Ten foes Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin, as well as DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Kansas, Kansas State, Oral Roberts, South Dakota State and UMKC.
NEXT UP
The Orange and Blue will take on the 2019 Big Ten Championships in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania beginning April 26 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Illinois has won four consecutive Big Ten Championship titles, and 14 in school history. UI has taken home the Big Ten Championship trophy at nine of the last 10 conference tournaments.
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