March 11, 2014
Final Stats
LAFAYETTE, La. -
The Illinois State men's golf team looked to turn around its performance Tuesday during the final round of the 29th Annual Louisiana Classics, but it wasn't able to shift the momentum in its favor against a competitive field that included three nationally-ranked opponents. The Redbirds shot a final-round score of 307, their highest team total of the tournament, to end the event in 11th place with an 897 (293-297-307) at the Oakbourne Cross Country.
ISU was led by Tyler Gentilella, who shot par in each round, ending the two-day tournament with a 216 (72-72-72), as he finished tied for 13th place. Gentilella led ISU in all three rounds, as his four teammates all shot at least 5-over-par on the final day.
"Tyler was a bright spot for us this week with three even par rounds," head men's golf coach Ray Kralis said. "His potential is off the charts, and his performance will be a confidence boost going forward."
Wils Hawn and Parker Freiburg both shot a 5-over-par during the final round of the tournament, as Hawn carded a three-round score of 223 (74-72-77), while Freiburg was four strokes behind with a 227 (74-76-77). Hawn and Freiburg ended the tournament in a tie for 38th place and a tie for 53rd place, respectively. Jordan Fahel captured a final score of 233 (74-77-82) and was tied for 65th place, while Josh Edison took 68th place on the individual leaderboard with a final score of 235 (73-81-81).
"People are motivated toward pleasure and away from pain, and Tuesday's outcome has some sting to it," head men's golf coach Ray Kralis explained. "Our performance in the final round was disappointing and a bit surprising after such a solid start to the spring and a good first round here, but it is a hard dose of reality that can teach us some lessons."
Kralis pointed out that the lost shots in the short game will improve with more time on grass, but wants his team to work on its mentality when things aren't going its way.
"A bigger concern was our body language and unforced errors when momentum was not on our side," Kralis said. "To compete at the level we are capable of, we cannot allow that to happen. I am thankful we compete again this week at Florida State and everyone starts at zero. We'll learn from this and put it into perspective, and we should be able to move forward even stronger despite the outcome."
No. 9 Illinois maintained its dominance over the field, winning the team title with a team score of 839 (279-270-290), while No. 33 LSU took second place, after carding an 845 (280-282-283). LSU cut the Illini's lead during the final round of play. Rounding out the top three was Louisiana (868) in the field of 12. Illinois State finished the tournament ahead of Kansas (899).
The Redbirds don't have much time to regroup, as they are back on the course at the Seminole Intercollegiate Friday through Sunday.
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