OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – The No. 11-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team remains in the hunt for the team title at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational thanks to another strong day from fifth-year seniors Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl on Saturday at Olympia Fields Country Club. 

The duo sit in first and third, respectively, in the individual race despite the Illini slipping from second to third as a team following missed opportunities throughout the second round for the rest of the Orange and Blue lineup.

"Adrien and Tommy played really solid golf, but to have two guys in the top three and to have us fall down the leaderboard is a little bothersome," head coach Mike Small said. "We had a chance to get in here, have a solid day, and try to win the day to put us in a good position for tomorrow, but we didn't have depth throughout the lineup. We need to all be pulling in the same direction tomorrow, and we need to all come out on point, to get back in this thing."

Dumont de Chassart, who entered the day tied for the lead after opening with a 65 (-5) on Friday, took over sole possession of first and extended his advantage to two strokes with a 3-under 67 in Round 2. He enters the final round just ahead of Arizona State's Ryggs Johnston in second, and Kuhl in third, and his 36-hole total of 132 (-8) matched the tournament record originally set by Stanford's Maverick McNealy in 2015.

Kuhl also posted his second consecutive round under par Saturday, following up Friday's 67 with a 68 to move to 5-under 135, three shots behind Dumont de Chassart.

"I'm really proud of Tommy and Adrien's rounds, and the way they competed these first two days," Small added. "If we get the others to follow suit, and follow their lead, we will have a really good chance of having a chance tomorrow."

Matthis Besard shot 6-over to secure the third score for the Illini on Saturday. He made his Illini debut on Friday with a 69 (-1) and sits in a tie for 37^th at 145 (+5). Junior Piercen Hunt, and sophomore Jackson Buchanan each shot 7-over in Round 2, and are tied for 48^th and 63^rd, respectively.

Individually, senior Jerry Ji is tied for 48^th (147), while classmate Nico Lang holds a share of 71^st. (154).

No. 15-ranked Stanford continues to lead the team race at 551 (-9), matching the event record for 36-hole team score set by Oklahoma State in 2018. No. 5 Arizona State, the only team to shoot under par (-7) on Saturday, overtook the Illini (559) for second place at 558 (-2). No. 3 Florida (564) and No. 7 Oklahoma State (567) round out the top five in the team standings.

Tee times for Round 3 begin at 7:30 a.m. CT on Sunday. The Illini, paired with the Cardinal and the Sun Devils will start on No. 1 beginning at 9 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com. 

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