URBANA, ill. – Fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart and the No. 3-ranked Fighting Illini sit atop the individual and team leaderboards after 36 holes of play through some tough conditions at the inaugural Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate at Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois.
Windy conditions pushed temperatures into the 40s during Saturday's two rounds, but the Illini remained unphased. All five members of the Orange and Blue's scoring lineup, plus freshman Ryan Voois who playing as an individual competitor, carded top-20 scores in the 66-player field to build an 18-stroke advantage heading into Sunday's final round at the team's newly-renovated home course.
Dumont de Chassart was particularly sharp late in the day on Saturday. Even as conditions began to wear down many competitors, the two-time defending Big Ten Golfer of the Year proved his mettle once again, focusing his effort en route to a 66 (-5) in Round 2 that included a key stretch of birdie-birdie-eagle on No. 13, 14, and 15. After an opening 72 (+1), Dumont de Chassart's Round 2 tally moved him to -4 overall, and pushed him ahead of Round 1 leader Gentry Scheve of Nebraska, who sits three strokes behind in second place at 141 (-1) .
Like Dumont de Chassaart, junior Piercen Hunt and sophomore Jackson Buchanan also overcame the conditions to improve their scores from Round 1 to Round 2. Hunt followed his opening 74 with a 1-under 70 to jump from 16th into a share of fourth with a 36-hole score of 144 (+2). Buchanan carded a 78 (+7) in Round 1, but bounced back with an even-par 71 in Round 2, ascending 23 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 18th at 149 (+7).
Fifth-year seniors Tommy Kuhl and Matthis Besard 72 and 73 in Round 1, respectively, and each tallied 73 in Round 2. Kuhl is tied for eighth at 145 (+3), on stroke ahead of Besard who sits in a three-way tie for ninth.
Voois is tied for 13th with a 36-hole score of 148 (+6). He opened with a 1-under 70 and was tied for second heading into Round 2 before closing with a 78 to finish the day with a 148 (+6). Seniors Jerry Ji (+9) and Nico Lang (+17) were also in action as individual competitors and are tied for 26th and 51st, respectively, heading into Day 2.
As a team, the Illini posted a 3-over 571 to pull away from second-place Loyola Marymount, which posted a 589 (+21). Ball State (+24), Northwestern (+25) and Nebraska (+26) round out the top 5 team standings with 18 holes to play.
Sunday's final round is now scheduled to begin at 8:24 a.m. CT, weather permitting. The Illini will be paired with Ball State and Northwestern, and will tee off on No. 1 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
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