This weekend, the undefeated men’s golf team will compete in Tucson, Arizona, for the National Invitational Tournament.

The tournament will be hosted by the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats men’s golf team at the Omni Tucson National Golf Course. The two-day tournament begins on Saturday. The tournament will feature a competitive field with multiple ranked teams, including the nation’s top-ranked team, Oklahoma, and No. 4 Arizona State.

The Illini took advantage of a mostly unranked field at the Louisiana Classics earlier this week. This weekend we will likely see more teams vying for the number one spot in the tournament. If the Illini have another record-breaking performance, though, that won’t matter.

The tournament is a homecoming for senior and Haskins award finalist Michael Feagles. Feagles is an Arizona native who attended Brophy College Prep, which is located less than two hours from the Omni Resort where the tournament will be held.

The Illini have played several tournaments in cold weather this year and have had success. Tucson is notoriously hot, and temperatures will likely reach the low 90’s. This is something the Illini have not experienced this season, so it will be interesting to see if the weather has any effect on the team.

Sophomore Jerry Ji is coming off his first career victory in a record-setting performance at the Louisiana Classics, so expect him to come out strong. With a win, the Illini will secure their first four-tournament win streak since 2016. That year the Illini also finished second in the National Championship tournament.

@JonesChristianT

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