The trophy case in the Demirjian Golf Practice Facility just got a little more crowded. 

For the fifth year in a row and 12th time in program history, the Illinois men’s golf team won the Big Ten Championships in French Lick, Ind. Illinois shot a total of 1,163, winning by nine strokes over Minnesota in the four-day tournament.

Taking first and second place were Illini junior Thomas Pieters (-4) and sophomore Brian Campbell (+1), respectively. Rounding out Illinois’ five-man lineup was Thomas Detry (+7),  sophomore Alex Burge (+12) and freshman Charlie Danielson (+14), all of whom finished in the top 25.

Head coach Mike Small said he couldn’t be happier with the play he saw this weekend, not just from Big Ten individual champion Pieters, but from the team as a whole.

“Their play this weekend was very strong,” Small said. “The guys handled adversity. They held a really positive vibe about themselves. So much can go wrong on this course … so many bad breaks, so many bounces, but they let nothing get in the way of their play.”

Even without last year’s individual conference champion, PGA professional Luke Guthrie, the Illini were able to handle the difficulties of the par-72, 7,152 yard Pete Dye Course. Small said he was never worried the team wouldn’t be able to fill the void Guthrie left behind.  

“We played great all year without Luke,” Small said. “Even though Luke has been a part of four of the Big Ten wins, the current guys stepped up. Everyone played so well, and their efforts showed out there.”

This weekend, constant competition between the top two Illini, Pieters and Campbell, fueled their stellar finishes.

“It was kind of like I really want to play well, but at the same time, I also really want Thomas to play well,” Campbell said. “Usually the player in first, you’re hoping, will trip up on a couple shots and fall back, but with Thomas in that spot, I just wanted him to play well.”

Even though he fell short of the individual championship, Campbell is satisfied with his play.

“My driver was a big key throughout the entire tournament,” Campbell said. “I was really confident with everything. I was able to put the ball exactly where it needed to be. Doing that hole after hole, I got a very good rhythm going.”

Shooting 2-under par for the first three rounds of the tournament, Pieters led the field with a seven-shot lead over teammate Campbell. In the fourth and final round, Pieters shot a 2-over, 74, he was still able to finish with an impressive win. And despite the tough compeition, Pieters was confident of his win throughout the tournament.

“After two rounds, I thought I was in good position for the win,” he said. “Two under, with a seven-shot lead, that seemed like a good position to be in. But today, I didn’t play too well. I kind of struggled today, I wasn’t too happy, but I finished strong and still pulled off a win.”

With another individual win for the Illini following Guthrie’s Big Ten title last year, Small is very enthusiastic about the future of his program.

“I’m extremely happy for these guys”, Small said. “This win isn’t for anyone else but them. But beyond the win, it also shows the stability of this program — what these young guys can do in such a great program.”

Claire can be reached at [email protected] and @clairelav228.