CARMEL, Ind. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team struggled early in Sunday's final round of the Big Ten Championship, but showed its championship mettle coming down the final stretch, to overcome Iowa for a one-stroke victory at Crooked Stick Golf Club. The win marks the sixth-consecutive Big Ten title for the Illini program, which has also won 11 of the last 12 and has now captured 18 Big Ten titles in its history.
"Winning or losing is just a by-product of how you operate that day, and how you handle situations," head coach Mike Small added. "We were down and out; it was not looking good. But we built a little momentum - it started on No. 9 and No. 10 - and all of a sudden, we just caught the train and played really solid. Eight-under par the last 10 holes for our scoring guys, and 10-under over the last 10 holes for our entire team, in these conditions and on this golf course is pretty special."
The Illini entered the day with a two-shot lead over the Hawkeyes, and tallied a team score of 289 (+1), behind big time closing performances from the fifth-year senior duo of Giovanni Tadiotto and Michael Feagles, who carded 71 and 72, respectively.
"I'm so happy for the team," Small added. "They persevered through a lot of adversity this week. I'm happy for the two seniors. They struggled in the first round mightily, for them, but came back and were big factors in today's finish."
Tadiotto opened the weekend with rounds of 83 and 76 before breaking through late on Sunday. He was 4-over through four holes, thanks to a bogey on No. 3 followed by a triple-bogey on No. 4. But he maintained his composure and stormed back to shoot 5-under over the final 14 holes of the day, including a huge eagle putt on No. 11 that was the catalyst for a stellar back nine. That allowed him to jump from 52nd into a tie for 29th over the last 18 holes, with a 54-hole total of 230 (+14).
Feagles shot 77 on Friday, and got back on track with a 71 on Saturday to jump 18 spots into the top-10 heading into today's finale. His steady approach continued on Sunday as he offset each of his three bogeys with a birdie to secure a fifth-place finish with a three-round total of 220 (+4).
Feagles was one of two Illini to earn a spot on the All-Championship Team – as a top-five finisher - along with junior Adrien Dumont de Chassart. Dumont de Chassart entered the day tied atop the individual leaderboard, and finished in second place with a. 2-over 218, despite his Round 3 score of 74 ultimately not counting toward the team total, a testament to the Illini's depth.
Instead it was fellow junior Tommy Kuhl and sophomore Jerry Ji – each playing in their first Big Ten Championship tournaments – that closed out the scoring for the Illini with matching 73s. Kuhl finished tied for 10th, and played a big role in the Illini's mid-round turnaround with birdies on Nos. 9 and 10, followed by eight straight pars to close the day. Ji also birdied No. 9, and added two more on 11 and 15, to offset a bogey on 12 and finish 1-under on the back nine and secure a tie for 16th overall.
"I think it's important to (the team)," Small said of his team's overcoming adversity to win the championship. "It means a lot. Playing for the University of Illinois is a big deal to these kids and that's what we want. That's why we do this stuff.
"We hit less than 40 percent of our fairways this entire week. Playing out of this rough, with these greens, is a testament to their grit. It's a testament to their short games and their ability to hold there, and close it out at the end."
Next up, the Fighting Illini will await the selection of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship field, which will be released as part of GOLF Channel's College Central coverage on Wednesday, May 5 at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
NCAA Regionals are slated for May 17-19, and will be held at one of six sites: The Sagamore Golf Club (Noblesville, Ind.), Seminole Legacy Golf Club (Tallahassee, Fla.), Championship Course at UNM (Albuquerque, N.M.), Karsten Creek Golf Club (Stillwater, Okla.), Golf Club of Tennessee (Kingston Springs, Tenn.), and Tumble Creek Golf & Country Club (Cle Elum, Wash.).
FEAGLES EARNS LES BOLSTAD AWARD
In addition to the team title and all-championship honor, Feagles also took home the Les Bolstad Award on Sunday, closing the tournament with a season stroke overage of 70.83 to lead all Big Ten golfers. He becomes the eighth Illini to earn the award, and the first since Charlie Danielson in 2016:
Illini Les Bolstad Award Winners
- Michael Feagles (70.83 in 2021)
- Charlie Danielson (70.70 in 2016)
- Thomas Detry (70.26 in 2015)
- Charlie Danielson (71.07 in 2014)
- Luke Guthrie (70.90 in 2012)
- Chris DeForest (71.45 in 2010)
- James Lepp (71.41 in 2003)
- Steve Stricker (72.05 in 1988)
