Northern golf teams aren’t supposed to be able to compete with southern and western teams.

That’s the common logic in collegiate golf.

In colder places, like Champaign, Ill., you can’t play golf year-round like you can in Southern California or Florida. Because of this, northern teams are limited to playing inside for months of the year and must travel to unfamiliar places in order to participate in competitions.

But, under head coach Mike Small, Illinois is dissolving that theory. The Illini have not only won five straight Big Ten Championships, but are one of six schools (UCLA, Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC) to make it to six straight NCAA Championships. The NCAA Individual Champions in 2010 and 2012, Scott Langley and Thomas Pieters respectively, were both Illini.

Last season, the Illinois men’s golf team went farther than ever before.

On the way to a NCAA Championship match appearance with Alabama, the Illini defeated defending national champion Texas in the NCAA quarterfinals and No. 1 California, who many called “the best college golf team ever,” in the semifinals.

The national runner-up finish was the best for the Illini in school history, and two individuals, junior Thomas Pieters and freshman Charlie Danielson, earned PING All-American honors.

The Illini also won their fifth straight Big Ten Championship and had the top two finishers in the conference in Big Ten Champion Pieters and runner-up Brian Campbell.

Illinois followed that with its first-ever NCAA Regional title on its way to its sixth straight NCAA Championship appearance.

While you were out

2011 National Champion and 2012 Big Ten Champion Pieters left the Illini a year early to play professional golf. Despite declaring his intention to go pro in January, Small was unable to find a replacement.

“We thought Thomas would be back. When he told us, it was too late to recruit any quality players,” Small said. “We are not going to recruit just anyone.”

Small also had some success of his own this summer, playing in three golf tournaments, including the PGA Championship.

What to watch for

Illinois returns four of its five contributors from last year’s national runner-up squad, so someone will have to step up and fill Pieters’ shoes. “It’s hard to replace guy like Thomas, a national champion and two-time All-American, and you can’t have one guy replace a guy like Thomas,” Small said. “We have to do it by committee, and get stronger as a team. Everyone has to get a little better.” 

Look for sophomore David Kim, who was in the top five for much of last season, or senior Jonathan Hauter, who hasn’t played much in his first three years, to step up.

Illinois has had an individual win the Big Ten Championship in each of the past three seasons. If that trend continues, it would likely be because of junior Brian Campbell, who finished second in the conference last season, or sophomore Charlie Danielson, a returning All-American.

When he started playing golf professionally, Pieters joined four former Illini in the professional ranks. Steve Stricker, Luke Guthrie, Scott Langley and D.A. Points all play on the PGA Tour, and Pieters will likely join them soon.

Johnathan can be reached at [email protected] and @jhett93.