Indiana men’s golf had a hard time getting going at the 2023 Fighting Illini Collegiate, hosted by the University of Illinois. The three day tournament took place at the Atkins Golf Course in Urbana, Illinois, and featured six teams from the Big Ten, including Indiana.
llinois walked away with the win by finishing with a team score of 850 (291-280-279, -2), a whopping 26 strokes better than second place Northwestern, who shot a combined team score of 876 (297-296-283, +24). Indiana’s team score was 892 (295-301-296, +40), enough for a seventh place finish.
Indiana was once again led by fifth-year senior Thomas Hursey, who finished as the lowest scoring Hoosier for the second straight tournament. Hursey finished with a combined score of 220 (75-72-73, +7), which earned a 13th place finish in the individual standings.
His final round of 73 (+2) was highlighted by three birdies to bring him just above par. Hursey will hope to keep his hot streak up at the Hoosiers next tournament, the Big Ten Men’s Golf Championship from April 28-30.
The rest of the Indiana team all finished within the top 50 of the individual tournament rankings. Senior Noah Gillard finished second on the Hoosier squad with a three round score of 221 (75-74-72, +8), just one shot shy of Hursey.
Gillard saved his best round for Sunday, shooting a score of 72 fueled by three birdies on the first six holes of the round. His three round score of 221 (+8) placed him tied for 15th in the individual rankings.
Junior Drew Salyers finished in the top 35 of the individual rankings. His three round score of 229 (74-79-76, +16) was highlighted by his final round of 76 (+5), which tied a team-high three birdie conversions.
Two members of the Hoosier squad played as individuals and both finished in the top 50 for individual rankings. Fifth-year senior Harry Reynolds finished tied for 29th place. He shot a 227 (77-76-74, +14) and picked up three birdies for the entire tournament.
Junior Robbie Bender III finished the tournament at +19 with a total score of 232 (82-77-73, +19). Much like Gillard, Bender also saved his best round for last where he shot a 73 (+2) with two birdies. He finished tied for 49th in the individual rankings.
Illinois had by far the best outing of the tournament. Fifth-year senior Adrien Dumont de Chassart finished 1st overall for the entire tournament. His score of 206 (72-66-68, -7) was 2 strokes ahead of second place finisher Daniel Svard from Northwestern.
Chassart was one of only 5 golfers to shoot below a 70 for a round, and he was the only person who shot below 70 twice. Illinois only got better during the tournament, improving on every round of the tournament to finish with a combined team score of 850 (291-280-279, -2). The Illini never relinquished first place after the first round of play was completed.
With the 2022-23 regular season coming to an end, the Hoosiers will now advance to the 2023 Big Ten Men’s Golf Championship from April 28-30 at the Galloway National Golf Course in Galloway, New Jersey. Indiana will look to clean up mistakes and shoot a strong game as it looks toward a Big Ten title.
