Playing in Augusta, Ga., just days before the PGA Tour professionals arrived for The Masters, the Illinois men’s golf team finished 12th out of 15 teams at the Insperity Augusta State Invitational.
Despite high first round scores, the team was able to shoot a 1-under-par 287 on Sunday, ending up with the eighth-best round in the entire invitational.
The field was led by freshman Thomas Detry, who placed 16th, shooting 1-over for the tournament. Belgium-native Thomas Pieters shot a first round 79 and second round 75 but finished in the third round with a 67, the second lowest tournament score.
“It’s been like that all year,” Pieters said. I don’t know if it’s because I’m not into the round and focused right away, but I have to work on that.”
Despite his team coming in 12th, head coach Mike Small isn’t discouraged by the team’s play after solid Sunday rounds.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
“We showed some resiliency today, which is what we were looking for,” Small said. “We can still play better, but it was a positive day, and we need to build on what we did today. Thomas (Pieters) got the score that we need to have more often, and everybody else played better, too.”
Sophomore Alex Burge finished with a 2-over 74, and the freshman duo of David Kim and Charlie Danielson finished at 76 and 74, respectively.
After their final round, the Illini traveled to Augusta National to watch the practice round of The Masters. Pieters was able to talk to Nicolas Colsaerts, who is also Belgian and currently plays on the European and PGA tours. With Pieters turning professional after the end of this season, following Colsaerts’ path to the Masters is something he strives for.
“I want to play in the tournament as soon as possible,” Pieters said. “I just hate watching the pros play, I want to be the one on the course playing.”
But before Pieters gets to this point, he is looking for a couple more wins before turning professional. “We have the tournament at Purdue coming up, and I’m looking forward to a win and to being a leader,” he said. “I can’t let my team down going into the Big Tens.”
The Illini will play in the Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind., on April 20-21, with a last chance to improve before the Big Ten Championships in French Lick, Ind., on April 26-28.
Claire can be reached at [email protected]
