Team takes second postseason win at Myrtle Beach

Varun+Chopra+golfs+at+the+Olympia+Field+Country+Club%2FFighting+Illini+Invitational+at+Olympia+Fields+on+Sept.+16.+

Photo Courtesy of Illini Athletics

Varun Chopra golfs at the Olympia Field Country Club/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields on Sept. 16.

By Claire O’Brien, Staff Writer

Illinois men’s golf won the NCAA golf Myrtle Beach Regional Wednesday at TPC Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. This is the second straight postseason win for the team, which won the Big Ten Tournament April 28.

The Illini were led by junior Michael Feagles, who finished first individually. Feagles finished four-under-par on each of the first two days and concluded regional play with a score of 65 on the par-72 course. Freshman Adrien Dumont de Chassart finished tied for fourth; Dumont de Chassart finished the Big Ten tournament tied for first back in April.

“It was a great week,” Feagles said, per Illini Athletics. “I played solid all week and drove the ball into the fairway and kept it out of trouble and made a few putts today, so overall it was great. The course was in fantastic shape.”

At Myrtle Beach, Illinois finished five strokes ahead of Big Ten rival Ohio State, who finished in second place and also outpaced Northwestern at the tournament as the Wildcats finished eighth.

The Illini have also won the last five Big Ten Tournaments, winning each tournament since 2015, and have won every Big Ten Tournament since 2009 except for 2014. Illinois has also been a nationally prominent team in recent years, with the team finishing in the top ten nationally from 2013-2017, finishing in 11th in 2018.

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TPC Myrtle Beach was a course completely new to this Illini team, as the Illinois golf program has not competed there since March 2009. The newer course opened in 1999, according to the course website. PGA Tour golfer Dustin Johnson, a South Carolina native who attended nearby Coastal Carolina, hosts a golf school at the course.

Head coach Mike Small thought the team performed well despite a younger roster this season.

“We’re still a young team,” Small said, per Illini Athletics. “No seniors and a couple freshmen in there, so you never really know, but they’ve earned my respect the last few weeks, at the Big Ten Championship, the way they closed that out, and then today, we talked a lot about presence, about how you approach a last round.”

Next up for the Illini is a trip to the NCAA National Championship at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from May 24-29.

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@claire_obrien43