COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Fighting Illini men's golf team, ranked No. 7 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek coaches' poll and No 8 in the most recent GolfStat team rankings, closes out the 2020-21 regular-season this weekend, competing at 49^th annual Robert Kepler Intercollegiate, hosted by Ohio State on Saturday and Sunday.

THE SETTING
The Robert Kepler Intercollegiate is hosted at the OSU's Scarlet Course, which will play at par-71 and 7,455 yards. The Scarlet Course is rated as one of the top collegiate courses in the nation by Golf Channel. It was originally designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie and was completed in 1938. In 2005 and 2006 the course underwent a major restoration overseen by Jack Nicklaus. 

TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days with 36 holes on Saturday, followed by Round 3 on Sunday. The low four scores will count towards the team score in each round.

THE FIELD
The Kepler Intercollegiate features a 16-team field highlighted by some of the top golf programs in the nation, including 11 of 14 Big Ten programs. The Illini, eighth in the latest Golfstat team ratings, are one of five top-50 ranked teams in the field, along with Liberty (14), Iowa (39), Kent State (40), and Indiana (47).  Purdue (58), Ohio State (70), Michigan State (76), Northwestern (77), and Rutgers (92) in the top-100. Penn State (101), Maryland (105), Toledo (128), Dayton (157), Michigan (165), and Northern Illinois (177) round out the field.           

FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1 Adrien Dumont de Chassart
No. 2 Jerry Ji
No. 3 Tommy Kuhl
No. 4 Michael Feagles
No. 5 Giovanni Tadiotto
Individual: Piercen Hunt

ILLINI AT THE KEPLER INTERCOLLEGIATE
The Fighting Illini are teeing off in the Robert Kepler Invitational for the 39^th time overall and the team's first since 2018. The Orange and Blue have had great success in the event, with 14 top-five finishes. Head coach Mike Small has led the Illini to two team titles; the Illini were co-champs at the 2011 event, and won by 10 strokes in 2017. Two former Illini have taken home medalist honors: Luke Guthrie (2011 co-medalist) and Dylan Meyer (2017).  

Illini fifth-year seniors Michael Feagles and Giovanni Taddiotto have each competed in the Kepler twice (2017 and 2018), while senior Brendan O'Reilly teed off as an individual competitor at the 2018 event. Feagles tied for third as a freshman in 2017 and tied for 39^th the following year. Tadiotto captured back-to-back top-20 finishes with a tie for 19^th in 2017 and a tie for 17^th in 2018. O'Reilly tied for 30^th as a freshman in 2018.  

LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Kepler Intercollegiate will be available on Golfstat.com. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of competition.

UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini tee off April 30-May 2 at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind., for the 2021 Big Ten Men's Golf Championship. The Orange and Blue are in search of their sixth-consecutive conference title, and their 11^th, in the last 12 league championships dating back to the 2008-09 season, under head coach Mike Small.

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