GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The No. 8-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team opened play at the Inaugural Folds of Honor Collegiate on Monday, battling brisk, rainy conditions at American Dunes Golf Club to sit in a tie for third place, five strokes behind Round 1 leader No. 14 Florida State, and two shots back of second-place Liberty, with 36 holes to play.
"Today we were fighting weather, we were fighting conditions, and we were piecing together a new golf course that we don't know very well," head coach Mike Small said. "It could have been better. It could have been worse. But it is what it is, and we find ourselves five back with two rounds to go; we're excited to get back out tomorrow and try to narrow this gap so we can be in position on the last day."
The fifth-year senior duo of Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl – who finished tied for second and fifth, respectively, in the Illini's season opener earlier this month at Olympia Fields – continued to lead the Orange and Blue through the adverse conditions.
Dumont de Chassart carded a 1-under 71 and is one of 11 golfers in the 90-player to field to open under par on Monday. He sits in a tie for fourth, two shots behind leader Jonathan Yaun (69) of Liberty. Kuhl recorded a team-high four birdies on the day, including three on the front nine after the Illini made the turn, and finished even-par in a tie for 12th.
Sophomore Jackson Buchanan and junior Piercen Hunt rounded out the scoring for the Illini lineup in Round 1. Buchanan is tied for 25th at 2-over, while Hunt (+3) sits in a tie for 30th. Matthis Besard, a graduate transfer playing in just his second event as an Illini, opened with a 76 (+4) to sit in a tie for 38th, but did not factor into the team's opening-round score.
FSU (-1) was the only program to shoot under par as a team in Round 1. Liberty is 2-over, followed by Illinois in a tie with Oregon State at 4-over. Arizona rounds out the top five, just one shot behind the Illini and Beavers.
Tee times for Round 2 begin at 9:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday. The Illini, paired with the Seminoles and Flames, will start on No. 1 beginning at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.
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