URBANA, Ill. – The Illinois women's golf program held its eighth annual Illini Women's Golf Classic at the Atkins Golf Club at the University of Illinois in Urbana on Monday, Aug. 21. The field of 27 teams enjoyed a beautiful day on the course and raised money to benefit the 2023-24 Fighting Illini.
Making the event possible were Illini Sponsors Sullivan-Parkhill Automotive and UpClose Printing, Scoreboard, Lunch and Illini Hour Sponsor The Ronald Filler Family, Range Sponsors the Steve and Jan Bowsher Family Trust and Paul Meginnis, and many others.
"What a way to kick off the year! So much energy and excitement surrounding the Illinois Women's Golf Classic and our program," head coach Renee Slone said. "This was our biggest Classic to date with the most teams participating and we were thrilled to welcome back our largest alumnae contingent. We are so grateful for all the volunteers, sponsors and participants in this year's Classic. A big shout out to the Cozad Asset Management, Inc. team led by Mary McGrath and Ed McVey and his teams from Constellation for sponsoring a team every year since the Classic's inception in 2015. Huge thank you to Jake Tucker and Sullivan-Parkhill Automotive for being an Illini Sponsor every year of the Classic. We appreciate the efforts made by Jim Buyze and Colby Mumm and the staffs at Atkins Golf Club and Homegrown to provide a fantastic experience for all."
Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to take part in a variety of on-course challenges such as the longest drive, closest second shot, and longest putt. Off the course, competitors had the opportunity to participate in the silent auction.
Following the tournament, Homegrown provided dinner and awards were presented. Members of the 2023-24 Illini Women's Golf Team were introduced to supporters, and the night concluded with the announcement of the silent auction winners.
Overall Tournament Winners
FIRST FLIGHT – FIRST PLACE Jim Moore, Rob Walls, Barry Benson, Jackie Szymoniak (Ronald Filler Family) - 57
FIRST FLIGHT – SECOND PLACE Chris Shroyer, Mark Wisniewski, Jason Holdren, Aaron Sutton (Busey Bank) - 57
SECOND FLIGHT – FIRST PLACE Ed McVey, Gabe Chavez, EJ Vaughn, Ed Vaughn (Constellation) - 62
SECOND FLIGHT – SECOND PLACE Brian Russell, Dennis Hesch, Greg Tresslar, John Patterson - 63
THIRD FLIGHT – FIRST PLACE Sue Endres, Cathy Yeager, Liz Hale, Beth Pyatt (Yellow Dog Properties) - 69
THIRD FLIGHT – SECOND PLACE Les Kroll, Tim O'Brien, Tom King, John Patterson (Green W Associates, Inc.) - 69
HOLE 1 MEN'S LONGEST DRIVE EJ Vaughn
HOLE 1 WOMEN'S LONGEST DRIVE Crystal Gantner
CLOSEST SECOND SHOT – HOLE #10 Chris Shroyer
CLOSEST SECOND SHOT – HOLE #10 Hailey Pearson
LONGEST PUTT – HOLE #8 Rusty Ernst
LONGEST PUTT – HOLE #18 Nora Klein
Silent Auction Winners
French Lick Resort Stay & Play Package: Jacob Tucker
Round for Three with Illini Great Tristyn Nowlin: Rick Slone
Round for Three with Illini Great Crystal Wang: Lee Smith
Round for Four at Urbana Country Club: Maureen Strup
Club Champion Driver Fitting: Pat Pioletti
Club Champion Full Bag Fitting: Debra Cohen
Callaway Paradym Driver: Jacob Tucker
Steve Stricker Autographed Package: Jacob Tucker
University of Illinois Official Team Golf Bag: Julie Fosler
St. Louis Cardinals Ticket Package: Brook Panaranto
Colonnades Club Experience: Tara Swearingen
77 Club Experience: Jacob Tucker
Wine Gift Basket: Crystal Gantner
PRP In-Home Wine Sampling: Jana Mitchell
SwingDish Bring It Bag: Tom King
Sawadee Silk Scarf: Debra Cohen
Yeti Rambler: Ruth Vedvik
Theragun Wave Solo: Jacob Tucker
Illini Mission Belt: Aaron Sutton
