MOBILE, Ala. – After the final round of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, the Illinois State men's golf team finished in 15th place, shooting a team score of 936 (321-302-313) on the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course. Josh Edison finished tied for sixth out of 30 golfers in the individual tournament.
Head coach Ray Kralis was pleased with Edison's individual performance, but knows the team has more potential then was showed.
"In the USA Individual Tournament, Josh had a solid showing on the [Magnolia Grove Falls] golf course, which is very challenging," Kralis said. "He was consistent from start to finish and can take many positives from his seventh- place showing. From a team standpoint, our performance was disappointing relative to our potential."
Tyler Gentilella led the Redbirds, carding a 230 (81-70-79), while Jordan Fahel followed with a 232 (81-71-80). Zach Burry was third for the team with a 236 (80-80-76) and Jason Marrs (79-83-81) and Kyle Meihofer (84-81-78) tied for 70th overall at 243. For the individuals, Edison shot a 226 (75-75-76) and Christian Crabill carded a 240 (80-87-73).
Auburn, ranked 20th in the nation, took first place with a 3-under-par 861 followed by South Alabama, Mississippi and Michigan State. The top-four teams are all ranked in the top-75 in the nation with the rest of the teams not far behind, making the playing field tough.
Kralis knows that his team can't dwell on this tournament and needs to look toward the future.
"It can happen in this game even at the highest levels, but there are plenty of examples where players bounce back in strong fashion after weeks like this," Kralis said. "Thankfully, we don't have to sit on this one too long with the Louisiana Classic next week."
The Redbirds will have a quick turnaround, as they prepare for the Louisiana Classic, March 2.
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