LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 7-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team posted the second-best team score during Monday's Round 2 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, a 7-under 281, to move up the team leaderboard behind stellar individual efforts from Tommy Kuhl and Matthis Besard.
"It was the second-lowest round of the day, and as with anything in golf, you can always be a little better," head coach Mike Small said. "But at the same point, when Tommy shoots 5-under and Matthis shoots 4-under, that's a pretty strong 1-2 punch. I'm confident that as the spring moves on, we'll all be hitting strides, but for those guys to do that, says a lot about their conviction and their mindset today."
Kuhl (-5) and Besard (-4) combined to shoot 9-under on the day, as both fifth-year seniors ascended the individual standings to move into a share of eighth and 20th, respectively, heading into Tuesday's final round.
Kuhl, who was tied for 29th after a Round 1 score of 72 (E), carded an eagle and four birdies, while posting just a single bogey, to move up 21 spots with a 36-hole tally of 139 (-5).
"Tommy is just solid," Small said. "He's just playing hard. Some days you shoot 5-under, some days you don't, but he played solid, and played from a point of strength all day, I thought."
Besard, however, was the biggest mover of the day in the 84-player field, jumping 41 spots from a tie for 61st into a share of 20th at 143 (-1). He was nearly bogey-free in Round 2, with five birdies before his lone misstep on No. 17. Besard's 4-under 68 marks a season-best single round score for the graduate transfer in his first season with the Illini.
"Matthis came out and was a little more assertive today, and committed to doing things, and it showed in his game," Small added. "He's a good player, and once he feels comfortable and keeps doing that, he has a lot of good golf ahead of him."
The effort helped the Illini move up one spot in the team standings into sole possession of fourth place at 10-under (566). No. 4 North Carolina (-20), continues to lead the stacked field, followed by No. 16 Texas (-14), which shot 9-under to finish as the only team to outscore the Illini on Monday. The Illini are two shots back of No. 14 Pepperdine (-12), and four strokes clear of No. 9 Oklahoma, which climbed three spots into fifth place on Day 2.
Sophomore Jackson Buchanan and fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart each shot 1-over to round out the scoring for the Illini in Round 2. Buchanan is even par through 36 holes in a tie for 25th, one stroke ahead of Dumont de Chassart, who is tied with Illini junior Piercen Hunt for 31st.
Round 3 tees off Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT. The Illini, paired with Oklahoma and sixth-place Florida, are set to begin off No. 1 at 11:50 a.m. CT/9:50 a.m. PT.
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