Reena Sulkar and Katie Hallinan tied for the low Illini at the GCAA Amateur Series over the weekend (RECAP). Sulkar writes about the weekend below. 

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Hello Illini Nation!

The team and I were excited to have the opportunity to compete again at the University of Illinois Orange Course in Savoy in a 54-hole tournament hosted by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) this past weekend. Several aspects of the tournament made for a truly special event. Firstly, the two-day tournament presented the unique opportunity for myself and five of my teammates to compete as individuals in a tournament conveniently held at one of our university golf courses. This provided the opportunity for many of our fellow Illini to come out to watch us play. Additionally, both men and women competed in the same division, which was a format that many of us had not played in since our very early junior golf days. The tournament also presented yet another opportunity to experience the evolution of competitive golf in the age of the pandemic. I found the online scoring protocol to be particularly efficient as it enabled us to refrain from exchanging paper scorecards and made for a particularly quick score confirmation and attesting process.

Although the tournament was not technically a team event, there were still ample opportunities to cheer one another on. During the first day of competition, which consisted of 36-holes, Katie Hallinan played in the group behind me. On the second day, I was paired with Isabel Sy. It was also not difficult to spot the orange and blue golf bag of my other teammates and stay connected across fairways by waving to one another. Having my teammates in such close proximity made for a very fun and high energy environment!

As far as the tournament itself, we all had a great time competing again. Despite some cooler temperatures in the mornings, both Saturday and Sunday turned out to be beautiful! The team and I were able to enjoy the amazing conditions and draw upon all of the energy from the Illini spectators. I want to take this opportunity to thank the GCAA and the staff at the Orange Course for putting on a great event! I also want to thank the numerous Illini students, staff, and supporters for coming out to watch us! Your presence made for a truly memorable experience.

Go Illini!

Reena Sulkar