LAREDO, Texas – After having play in the second round stopped one hole from completion in the first day of the 2021 Border Olympics, the Illinois State Redbirds closed the tournament with 19 holes on Tuesday, placing eighth in a loaded field that featured four teams ranked inside of the top-50.
Illinois State had a three-round score of 893 (294, 297, 302), good for eighth place of 18 total schools in the tournament. 26th-ranked Texas A&M won the team title with an 862, while ninth-ranked Texas took second with an 870. Tournament host Houston finished third with an 873, while Sam Houston (885), ULM (887), UTSA (888), and 13th-ranked Baylor (889) all finished just ahead of the Redbirds.
Finishing behind ISU include 43rd-ranked Kent State (897), New Mexico State (900), Abilene Christian (902), Michigan (903), Louisiana (904), Rice (914), Eastern Michigan (924), Lamar (925), Bowling Green (935), Houston Baptist (939).
"All of the shots count the same over the 54 holes, but it stings a lot more when you lose some in the closing holes like we did today," said Redbird head men's golf coach Ray Kralis. "We know we let a great opportunity to pick up a few strong head-to-head wins slip away. The course was a great test as evidenced by the team scores and could get you playing defensively very easily. We positioned ourselves well after day one, but we didn't handle it like we are capable of. Being in the hunt and among the top teams most of the way was invaluable, and I can't wait to feel that again. We will get better at being comfortable in uncomfortable situations with this group. Bank on it!"
Leading the way for the Redbirds was senior David Perkins, who finished the tournament one stroke over par with rounds of 72, 73, and 72. His second round saw him record four birdies against five bogeys for his lone over-par round of the tournament. He shot a balanced final round with two birdies, two bogeys and 14 total pars for his second even-par round of the tournament, finishing in 12th place overall in the field of 95 golfers.
Joe Hodgson finished in a tie for 37th in the field with rounds of 73, 77, and 76. His second round had 14 pars before closing at five strokes over par with a 77, and he improved that score by one in the final round with a 76 that saw a birdie and 13 pars.
Dan Anfield and Andrew O'Brien each carded a three-round 227 and tied for 43rd overall. Anfield got his 227 with rounds of 77, 72, and 78 while O'Brien had rounds of 72, 77, and 78. In the second round, Anfield had five birdies to go along with nine pars en route to his even-par 72. He followed that with three birdies and seven pars, finishing six strokes over par with a 78 in the tournament finale.
O'Brien had three birdies and eight pars in his middle round, finishing five strokes over par with a 77. He followed that with a final-round 78 that included four birdies and six pars.
Felix van Dijk was tied for the second-lowest final-round score for the Redbirds with a 76, a round in which he had three birdies and nine pars. The 76 came after he carded a 75 in the second round where he had five birdies and seven pars.
The Redbirds are next in action on Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16 at the Louisiana Classics Invitational in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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