MADISON, Wis. – After the third and final round of the Badger Invitational, the Illinois State men's golf team finished tied for ninth place, shooting a team score of 912 (295-312-305) and improving from the second round. Senior Tyler Gentilella led the team in the third round, carding a 1-over-par 73 on the day.
Although head coach Ray Kralis and the Redbirds had to deal with difficult weather conditions during Tuesday's 18-holes, which included two inches of rain, cooler temperatures and strong winds, he believes they can establish more consistency on the course moving forward.
"While the outcome is disappointing, I remain encouraged by the positive stretches that I see from the group. We were very competitive in the first and third rounds, so we need to eliminate the big numbers that hurt us in round two," Kralis said. "We obviously have to get more consistent through each round and through the tournament, but I am confident we will get there."
Sophomore Zach Burry led the Redbirds through three-rounds of play at the Badger Invitational, finishing with a 223 (70-77-76) in a tie for 17th place, while Gentilella finished just strokes behind him with a score of 227 (78-76-73) in a tie for 29th place. Junior Christian Crabill carded a 233 (70-86-77), while freshman Trent Wallace finished just one stroke back with a three-round score of 234 (78-77-79). Freshman Michael Mounce finished the tournament with 239 (77-82-80).
In the individual competition, junior Kyle Meihofer shot a 227 (70-79-78), sophomore Steven Mullins scored a 229 (75-79-75) and sophomore Jason Marrs finished with a 242 (85-80-77). Meihofer tied with Gentilella in 29th place on the individual leaderboard.
Kansas finished in first place after a strong third-round performance in tough weather conditions, surpassing Miami (Ohio) for the lead. KU shot a third-round score of 296 and a team score of 865 (283-286-296). Miami (Ohio) and Ball State finished in second and third place, respectively, while ISU finished tied for ninth place with Western Carolina.
ISU returns to action on October 5, as it travels to the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, for the Firestone Invitational.
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