HONORS & AWARDS

• Two-Tiime PING All-Midwest Region (2022 at SIU, 2023 at ILL)
• All-Big Ten First Team (2023)
• All-Big Ten Championships Team (2023)
• All-Big Ten Championship Bronze Medalist (2023) 
• Spring Academic All-Big Ten (2023)
• Two-Time GCAA All-America Scholar (2020 at SIU, 2023 at ILL)
• Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year (2022 at SIU)
• Four-Time All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 at SIU)
• Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year (2019 at SIU) 
• Nine-Time Missouri Valley Conference Golfer of the Week (at SIU)

FIFTH-YEAR SENIOR - 2022-23 

• First-team All-Big Ten selection
• Earned spot on All-Big Ten Championship team with a top-5 (T3rd) individual finish, also claiming a bronze medal
• Played in the lineup in all 12 tournaments
• Fourth on the team with a stroke average of 71.40
• Recorded eight top-25 individual finishes on the season, including six top 10s at the Dayton Flyer Invitational (T6th), Hal Williams Collegiate (T4th), National Invitational Tournament (9th), Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate (T6th), Big Ten Championship (T3rd), and NCAA Bath Regional (T8th)
• Shot a season-low score of 66 (-6) in the final round of the Tiger Collegiate Invitational, helping the Illini to a school-record for a 54-hole team score
• Posted 68-68-69 to record a season-low tournament score of 205 (-8) and earn his best finish of the regular season (T4) at the Hal Williams Collegiate
• Carded 20 of 35 rounds at par or better on the season, and posted nine rounds in the 60s
• Closed as the Illini’s top finisher in two events, a tie for ninth at the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson, Ariz. (March 17-18), and a season-best tie for third at the Big Ten Championship (April 28-30)
• Earned B1G Golfer of the Week honors on March 22, 2023

SUMMER - 2022

• Tied for 7th at the St. Andrews Links Trophy (June 3-5) in Fife, Scotland
• Competed in stroke play at The 127th Amateur Championship (June 13-18) at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in Lancashire, England, and the European Amateur Championship (June 22-25) at Parador Campo de Golf El Saler in Spain
• Played alongside Illini teammate Adrien Dumont de Chassart for Team Belgium at the European Amateur Team Championship (July 5-9) at Royal St. George Golf Club in England
• Advanced to match play at the 120th Western Amateur (July 31-Aug. 5)
• Helped Team Belgium, along with Illini teammate Adrien Dumont de Chassart, to a tie  for 11th at the World Amateur Team Championship (Aug. 13 - Sept. 34) in Paris, France

SENIOR - 2021-22 (AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)

• Played in the lineup in all 12 tournaments
• Ranked first in the Missouri Valley Conference with a stroke average of 70.50 over 36 rounds, the second-lowest mark in the league since 2003
• Led the Salukis program to the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA Columbus Regional
• Recorded four wins: the Zach Johnson Invitational, the Grover Page Classic, the Savannah Intercollegiate, and the Desert Mountain Collegiate
• Also added three runner-up finishes, a third-place showing, and an eighth-place finish to go along with his four wins in the nine tournaments leading up to the Columbus Regional

JUNIOR - 2020-21 (AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)

• Won a tournament title at the 2021 Craft Farms Intercollegiate (-4)
• Second on team in stroke average (73.5)
• Placed in the top-15 of three tournaments
• Finished sixth at the 2021 MVC Championships (+9)

SOPHOMORE - 2019-20 (AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)

• Second on team with 73.25 stroke average as a sophomore, ninth-lowest in school history
• Led SIU in rounds (24) 
• Tied for 13th place (+4) out of 72 golfers at the 2020 Desert Mountain Intercollegiate
• Shot a season-low 67 in round one at the 2019 Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic

FRESHMAN - 2018-19 (AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)

• 2019 MVC Newcomer of the Year
• Competed at the 2019 Louisville NCAA Regional
• Won tournament title at the 2018 Fuzzy Zoeller Invitational (-9), which was his first-ever collegiate appearance
• Tied school record for most rounds golfed (37) in a season
• Third on team with 72.4 stroke average as a freshman — the 3rd-lowest in school history
• Tied for 5th place (E) with rounds of 75, 67 and 74 at the 2019 MVC Championships
• Tied for 8th place (-7) out of 78 golfers at the 2019 FAU Spring Championships with rounds of 72, 68 and 69
• Placed in the top-15 four times as a freshman

High School/Junior

• Rated as the No. 2 junior in Belgium
• Finished tied for 11th at the 2018 Belgian International Amateur Championship
• Placed second in the 2018 National Junior Championship with a final round course record and personal best of 64 (-7)
• Selected for the 2018 European Boys Team Championship division I
• Won 2017 Junior Open of Flanders
• Selected for the 2017 European Boys Team Championship division II

Personal

• Born April 7, 2000 in Oudenaarde, Belgium
• Son of Dirk Besard and Nancy Van Den Eynde
• Father is a production manager and mother is a doctor
• Completed bachelor’s degree in management management: entrepreneurship with a minor in economics from Southern Illinois
• Working towards a master’s degree in management at Illinois

Career Statistics

Career Results