CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. – After three seasons of finishing painfully close to the individual top spot in a collegiate men's golf tournament – ten total top-10 finishes over his three-plus years with Illinois State – senior David Perkins was finally able to land a medalist honor as he ran away from the field at the 2019 Golfweek Conference Challenge with a 10-under-par 206 on the weekend, three strokes better than the next closest golfer.
Perkins was one of just two golfers in the field to shoot under par in all three rounds, as he closed his tournament with a final-round one-under 71, paced by three birdies over his final four holes.
As a team, the Redbirds moved up the standings every day, including shooting a final-round 291, climbing from a five-way tie for fifth place in the field to a three-way tie of fourth place at the end of the round.
ISU's finished the tournament with three-day total of 871 (+7), as Ball State handily won the title with a three-round 853 (-11). Campbell finished second with an 868 (+4) and San Jose State claimed third place with an 869 (+5). Iowa (+7; 871) and Arkansas State (+7; 871) represent the other two teams tied for fourth place as Kansas City (+11; 875), Furman (+11; 875), Dayton (+12; 876), and Jacksonville State (+14; 878) rounded out the top 10 teams in the field.
Perkins' final round got off to a rough start, as a bogey on his second hole – just his third bogey of the tournament to that point – put him above par for the first time over the three days of the competition. He followed with nine consecutive pars before recording his second and final bogey of the day. He closed strong; however, saving his best for the end with three birdies and three pars over his final six holes to finish back under par with a one-under 71 on the day.
Both Joel Durnford and Felix van Dijk each shot a one-over 73 on the final day and a +5 for the tournament (tied for 32nd overall), but the pair went about it entirely different over the final 18 holes.
Durnford started fast with two birdies in his first three holes, but saw his negative score erased with a double-bogey on his fifth hole. The senior ended the day with four birdies, nine pars, and four bogeys en route to his 73.
van Dijk was the model of consistency, as he recorded 15 pars over the 18 holes with a birdie and just two bogeys over the final round.
Junior Joe Hodgson closed out the scoring players for ISU on the final day with a two-over 73. Hodgson struggled early with four bogeys over his first 12 holes; however, with four pars and two birdies on his last six holes, he pushed himself to two shots over par, and into a tie for 61st overall in the field after the three-round tournament.
Dan Anfield also closed his round strong, using birdies on his 15th and 18th holes to turn a five-over score to a three-over 75 on the final day, and into a tie of 73rd among the golfers in the field.
Playing as an individual, Andrew O'Brien ended his day at four strokes over par with a 76 including a pair of birdies in the round.
The Redbirds have a weekend off before returning to action at the end of the month in the Bearcat Invitational, hosted by the University of Cincinnati at Coldstream Country Club.
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