MOBILE, Ala. – Illinois State senior Dan Anfield carded a team-low 70 – including an eagle on the par-five sixth hole – as the Redbirds climbed two spots in the team standings, the largest upward movement after the first day in the field, and stand in 12th place after the second day at the loaded Mobile Bay Intercollegiate.
The Redbirds improved their score by six strokes from day one to day two, and ended the second day six strokes over par, and had a second-round score of 294 and a 594 over the opening two days. Illinois leads the field after two days with Kent State, UAB, Indiana, and Louisville round out the top five schools in the field.
"We knew today would be a battle due to the weather," said Illinois State head coach Ray Kralis. "We started in steady rain with a temperature of 40, were later delayed later by lightning, and finished in stronger winds with a real-feel in the 20's. We got the start we wanted and finished the front nine in the red, but we let a few strokes slip away in the closing holes. Despite that, I loved the toughness the guys showed with strong body language and focus all day. Dan was an absolute stud, and we needed it. Overall, it was a step forward, and we plan to keep it going in that direction in the final round tomorrow."
Anfield's two-under 70 drops his tournament score to an even-par 144 after two rounds, which has him in a tie for 24th place in the field. Felix van Dijk finished two shots over par on the day with a 74, and his two-round 150 is tied for 58th.
David Perkins improved by a stroke with a second-round 75, giving him 151 strokes over the two games which is tied for 62nd. Jack Paeglow, playing as an individual, shot a second round 75, and like Perkins is tied for 62nd. Andrew O'Brien shot a second round 75, three strokes over par, and is in 79th, while Joe Hodgson carded an 80, and is tied for 76th after two days in the tournament.
Anfield opened his day with four consecutive pars before a birdie and an eagle dropped his aggregate score to three strokes under par. He followed with two more pars before a bogey on the ninth hole sent him into the turn at two strokes under par. A par started his back nine, before he bogeyed the second hole. He responded well with a birdie on the par four 12th hole and closed his day with a birdie on the 18th hole, finishing in the dark due to the delay during the round. the day.
van Dijk, a native of Holland, opened his day with seven consecutive pars, before a bogey on the eighth hole snapped the skid, as he went into the turn at a stroke over par. He opened his back nine with a birdie and added another birdie on the 13th hole before closing the day with his two-over 74.
Perkins opened his day with a bogey but followed with a par on the second hole, and then birdied the par four third hole to even his aggregate score. Another birdie on the par-five sixth hole dropped him to a stroke under par, before closing the front nine with on bogey, par, and par to head into the turn with an even-par 36. In the back nine Perkins had six pars and three bogeys to close the round with a three-over 75.
Senior Andrew O'Brien started his day strong with nine pars and a birdie – on the par-five fourth hole – over the first 10 holes of the day. He closed his final eight holes with a back-and-forth effort with bogeys and pars, ending the day with a three-over 75.
Hodgson, a native of Adelaide, South Australia, opened play in the second day with six consecutive pars, before a lone front-nine bogey took him into the turn at a stroke over par. The senior struggled after the turn with a bogey, a par, a birdie and two above-bogey scores, before closing strong with four straight pars to end the day with an eight-over 80.
Playing as an individual in his opening collegiate tournament, Jack Paeglow started his day on the back nine and had two consecutive pars before bogeys on two of the next three holes to push him to two strokes over par. He closed his front nine strong with a birdie on the par-four 15th hole (his sixth hole of the game) and ended out his first nine holes with three more pars to make the turn at a stroke over par. After starting his back nine with three more pars – running his total to six consecutive pars – he birdied the fourth hole to drop him back to even par on the day. He stumbled slightly down the stretch with three bogeys and two pars over the final five holes, closing his day at three shots over par on the day.
The Redbirds take back to the course in the third and final day of the tournament, with a shotgun start going off at 11 a.m. CT.
