Golfers Wrap Up Action At Louisiana Classics

LAFAYETTE, La. – Blustery conditions and challenging layouts made scoring difficult on the final day of competition at the 31st annual Louisiana Classics held at Oakbourne Country Club Tuesday, as Illinois State finished in 12th place overall in a talented field.

The Redbirds combined for a final-round score of 314 to finish the tournament with a three-round total of 915 (298-303-314).  No. 1 ranked Illinois topped the leaderboard with a 15-under par total of 849, after a final-round score of 291.  No. 45 Kansas moved up a spot after day one to finish second overall, as the Jayhawks were the only team to shoot under par during the final round.  KU posted a three-round score of 850 (278-285-287) to finish one shot behind the Illini, and No. 33 Texas A&M finished third with a final total of 853 (278-281-294).

"Stronger winds and tough hole locations made it more challenging today, especially when you missed it on the wrong sides," head coach Ray Kralis said. "You have to grind it out and battle from start to finish on days like this, and Trent (Wallace) and Michael (Mounce) were able to do that and give us solid scores considering the conditions."

Wallace was the top finisher for the Redbirds, as he shot a 3-over-par 75 during the final round of competition.  He finished the tournament with a three-round total of 218 (70-73-75) to finish in a tie for 17th place individually.  Mounce was the only other ISU golfer to post a score in the 70s on Tuesday, with a final-round total of 76 to finish with a tournament score of 229 (74-79-76).  He tied for 59th overall with teammate Zach Burry, who also posted a score of 229 (74-71-84) after a tough third round.

"I knew we were going to face fields with teams ranked above us coming out of the gate this spring, so I am more concerned with how we performed relative to our capabilities than how we placed in the field at this point," Kralis continued.  "However, we cannot continue to leave a couple good scores high and dry and need more consistency through the lineup." 

The Redbirds return to action Friday, March 11, in Tallahassee, Florida, at the Seminole Intercollegiate.  The tournament runs through Sunday, March 13, and will be hosted by Florida State at Southwood Golf Course.

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