FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Illinois State put three players in side of the top-15, including a sixth-place finish by junior David Perkins, and the Redbirds claimed second place of 17 schools at the 2018 Ram Masters Invitational, hosted by Colorado State University.
Perkins tied for sixth overall, while Trent Wallace and Joel Durnford each tied for 11th individually on the par-70, 7,218-yard Fort Collins Country Club.
"While this wasn't our best, it was still a very solid performance and keeps the momentum building," said Illinois State head coach Ray Kralis. "We knew Colorado State, a preseason top-30 team, would be tough at home, especially with the difficulty of the greens. We also had to deal with the test of adjusting to the higher elevation which makes it tough on distance control. However, I like the fact that we were out of our comfort zone and still responded. Joel and Dave gave us big rounds today, and they, along with Trent, were high on the leader board. I liked the competitiveness and hunger I saw in the squad. We'll take some valuable lessons from the challenges we faced."
Host Colorado State, behind its Invitational-record second round, claimed the team victory, while the Redbirds shot a three-round 850 (280-278-292). South Dakota (854), Denver (855), and Northern Colorado (859) finished just behind Illinois State.
Leading the way for ISU was Perkins, whose three-round scores of 210 (68-70-72) saw him tie for sixth place of 96 golfers in the field. Durnford's even-par 70 led the way for the Redbirds in the final round, and the transfer's 212 (73-69-70) had him finish +2 on the tournament, and tied for 11th overall.
Wallace, one of the team's two seniors, also finished at two strokes over par with his 212 (70-67-75), also tying for 11th in the field. The final scoring member of the Redbird squad in the tournament finale was the team's other senior, David Rauer, who shot a five-over 75, to close out his 216 (69-72-75) for the tournament, tying for 31st overall. Sophomore Andrew O'Brien was six strokes over par heading into the final round with back-to-back 73's, before being disqualified in the final round.
The Redbirds return to action on Oct. 1-2 to compete in the Firestone Invitational, hosted by Akron.
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