Led by sophomore Ryan Voois, Illinois came up one stroke short of first place at NCR Country Club. Illinois claimed a stand-alone second place when play concluded Tuesday afternoon.
The Flyer Invitational, hosted by the University of Dayton, featured a weaker field of teams but saw stellar play from the third-highest-ranked program in the field, Marquette, who took home the crown led by a massive 7-under par first round.
Illinois opened the tournament with a 4-over-par 288 first round, putting themselves in a tough position, but bounced back with a tournament-best and season-low 13-under second round to wrap up play on Monday, putting them in a T-1 position heading into the final round.
With all the momentum heading into Tuesday, the Illini looked to finish atop the leaderboard for back-to-back years at the Flyer Invitational. Despite posting a strong 2-under-par 282, Marquette was able to edge out a narrow victory, logging a 3-under 281.
Voois led the comeback surge with back-to-back 68s, helping get Illinois out of a hole after the lackluster first round. Voois finished T-4 in the individual standings, recording an overall 208 with a 72-68-68 split at NCR Country Club.
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The low rounds are nothing new for the standout sophomore, as Voois has been exceptional in leading Illinois through the past two tournaments. Voois posted a 209 at least weeks Purdue Fall Invitational, helping the Illini finish T-3 in West Lafayette.
Big Ten player of the week, junior Jackson Buchanan, displayed his brilliance once again, going low — finishing 4-under-par with an overall 209, good enough for a share of eighth place in the individual standings.
After finishing tied for first in the individual standings in West Lafayette, Buchanan kept his foot on the gas, helping Illinois in a massive way for the second straight week. Posting a team-best 65 in the big second round for the Illini, Buchanan displayed his brilliance once again.
Illinois avoided a share for second place, edging out Wright State by just one stroke. Wright State sat just three back from Illinois heading into the final round and could not catch Illinois despite a strong 4-under Tuesday.
In individual play, fifth-year Timmy Crawford came out victorious, giving Illinois its second straight first-place finish in individual play.
Crawford came out on fire with a seven-stroke lead after 36 holes at NCR Country Club. Posting a 64-66-67 split in the tournament, Crawford finished -16, 10 strokes ahead of Marquette and Illinois State seniors Josh Robinson and Felix van Dijk.
Following a week off, the Illini will look to keep their momentum going as they wrap up their fall schedule on Oct. 30-31 in Pebble Beach, California, at the Cypress Point Classic, hosted by Stanford University at Cypress Point Club.
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