PLACIDA, Fla. – The Illinois State men's golf team came up short against in-state rival Illinois Saturday at the Tinervin Cup in Placida, Florida, at the 7,038-yard, par-71 Coral Creek Golf Club with a score of 8-1. It marked the 12th-straight victory for Illinois.
After a morning of playing fourball, the Fighting Illini were up 3-0 on the Redbirds. In the afternoon, players competed in singles, and Illinois won the afternoon session, 5-1, pushing the score to 8-1 to end the event. The event is put on by Jeff and Madalyn Tinervin, and is played in a format similar to the Ryder Cup.
Even though the Redbirds fell short, head coach Ray Kralis was proud of the way his team competed.
"Despite the final outcome, we had some tight matches and will take positives from the Tinervin Cup," Kralis said. "We can obviously learn some things when we compete against the top team in the country, and the opportunity to go head-to-head, under demanding conditions, will better prepare us for a competitive spring season."
During single play in the afternoon, Tyler Gentilella defeated the Illini's Thomas Detry. Gentilella was the only Redbird to top his Fighting Illini opponent, and he earned ISU's lone point of the day.
The Redbirds return to competition Feb. 8th at the two-day Barona Collegiate Cup in San Diego, California.
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