SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team concluded its chase for the 2021 national title on Tuesday, falling in a hard-fought battle with the No. 4-seeded and top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor Course.

Illinois entered the tournament ranked eighth in the nation, before finishing fifth in stroke play portion to set up the matchup with OU. The quarterfinal berth secures a fifth-place tie for the Orange and Blue in the final NCAA Championship standings, the program's seventh top-five national finish under head coach Mike Small since the current format was adopted in 2009 - a mark that ranks second in the country.

"I'm proud of (this team) for the way they went about their business and competed," said Small. "They wanted to win this week, they really believed they could win. We haven't talked much about it yet, but this was close - about as close as you can get - with three matches ending on 17. We had two big wins, and three matches barely decided on 17, so that's as close as it gets against the No. 1 team in the country."

Junior Adrien Dumont de Chassart and fifth-year senior Michael Feagles helped the Illini jump out to an early edge over the Sooner before eventually cruising to a pair of match victories. Dumont de Chassart was the first on the board, rolling to the victory 8&6 over OU's Patrick Welch, never losing a hole after jumping out to a 3-up edge through the first three holes of the day on Nos. 10-12. Feagles also won his first hole of the day, but was locked in a tied battle through eight before making a run with wins on Holes 18, 1, 2 and 3 to put the match out of reach for the victory, 4&3.

The rest of the Illini faced tight matches that nearly went the distance before ultimately going the way of the Sooners. Fifth-year senior Giovanni Tadiotto was solid, shooting what would have been a 3-under 67 in a stroke play format. But he was unable to hold off the comeback by OU's Jonathan Brightwell who erased a 3-up edge that Tadiotto had built up over the first five holes of the day. Brightwell claimed wins on 16, 17 and 18 to tie the match before pulling away on Holes 3-6 to keep Tadiotto at bay.

Kuhl went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma's Quade Cummins. However, after going 1-up with a birdie on 10 to open his round, Kuhl dropped four of five holes between 10-15. A birdie on 16 moved Kuhl to within two of Cummins, but the foes matched each other shot-for-shot the rest of the way for the 2&1 Oklahoma decision. Sophomore Jerry Ji's match with Logan McAllister also finished 2&1 in favor of OU, as Ji's furious comeback effort fell just short. He trailed by three after six holes, but stormed back with wins on 17 and 18 to pull to within one before tying the match after the turn with a long birdie putt on No. 5. McAllister closed the door with wins on Nos. 7 and 8.  

The end of the season brings to a close the Illini careers of both Feagles and Tadiotto who returned for 2020-21 following the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season to help lead the Illini to match play for the second time in their careers.

"I talked to (Michael and Giovanni) today and I just thanked them for their unconditional support of me, the program, and the way we do things at Illinois," Small said. "There was never one time in five years that they weren't 100 percent committed to this program. They were all-in from Day 1, and that's something that all coaches value and appreciate. It would have been nice to give them a national championship, but they've been a part of a lot of team wins and top finishes, and they have a lot to be proud of. The program's in a good spot with them. They're good people, they're good students and they have always worked hard."

NCAA Quarterfinals

Oklahoma 3, Illinois 2
Jonathan Brightwell (OU) def. Giovanni Tadiotto (ILL) 3&1
Adrien Dumont de Chassart (ILL) def. Patrick Welch (OU) 8&6
Logan McAllister (OU) def. Jerry Ji (OU) 2&1
Quade Cummins (OU) def. Tommy Kuhl (ILL) 2&1
Michael Feagles (ILL) def. Ben Lorenz (OU) 4&3