GULF SHORES, Ala. – Led by a tournament-low five-under par first round from David Perkins – the next closest golfer is three strokes under par – the Illinois State Redbirds are in sixth place and just six total shots out of the lead at the 2021 Craft Farms Intercollegiate.
"That was another big-time round from Perk today to keep us among the pace setters through the first round," said Illinois State head coach Ray Kralis. "We expected the course to play a little different from the practice round with wind coming from a different direction, but a few starting lines from tees were tricky to determine – which cost us a few strokes. We will get more and more comfortable which makes it easier to commit, and I believe we will see improvement each day."
Behind Perkins' 67, the Redbirds had a team score of 292. Louisiana leads the field with a first-round 286, while South Alabama (288), Cincinnati (291), Lipscomb (291), and Eastern Michigan (291) are all narrowly ahead of ISU. Western Kentucky (294), Ball State (298), Texas State (299), Southern Illinois (299), Seton Hall (306), Eastern Kentucky (307), and Lamar (310) all file in on the standings behind ISU on the 7,127-yard, par-72 Craft Farms Country Club course.
The Redbirds will head out on the course early tomorrow, starting at 7:50 a.m. and will play the second round alongside players from Lipscomb and Eastern Michigan.
Perkins – the MVC Golfer of the Week a week earlier – opened his day with a birdie on his first hole of the day; however, a bogey on the fifth hole pushed him back to even par. He followed with two consecutive birdies and was never at or above par again for the round. He closed his front nine with a par and a bogey, making the turn at a stroke under par. He caught fire in the back nine with four birdies over the final nine holes, dropping his score to five shots under par for the day.
Despite early struggles, senior Joe Hodgson finished two strokes over par with a 74 and is tied for 22nd in the field. Hodgson opened with three bogeys and four pars over his first seven holes, standing three shots over par. A birdie on the eighth hole of the day, followed by a par, sent him into the turn at just two strokes over par. His score dropped to one shot over par after a birdie on the 11th hole; however, a bogey on the 15th hole put him at two strokes over par heading into the clubhouse after the first round.
Playing in his first collegiate tournament, freshman Will Troy carded a two-over 74, and is also tied for 22nd in the tournament, despite not being a part of the team scoring, as he is playing as an individual. Starting on the back nine, Troy opened his Redbird career with a birdie on the par-five 10th hole. He remained under par until a bogey on his sixth hole of the day pushed him back to even par, as he closed out his first nine holes in sour fashion with a double bogey on the par-four 18th hole. A bogey on his 10th hole put him at his aggregate score at three shots over par, but two birdies and a bogey over his final five holes sent him into the clubhouse at two shots over par.
Senior Andrew O'Brien opened his day with six consecutive pars, and traded a bogey for a birdie with a hole to play on the front nine, but stumbled to finish his first nine holes as he went into the turn with a triple bogey on the ninth hole, pushing him to three strokes over par. He went even-par over his last nine holes with two birdies, two bogeys, and five pars, and his three-over 75 as him in a tie for 32nd in the tournament.
Felix van Dijk was the only Redbird to record an eagle on the day, and had an up-and-down round that saw an eagle, a birdie, 10 pars, and six holes above par. His four-over 76 puts him in a tie for 43rd place in the field of 75 golfers.
Senior Dan Anfield opened his day with three consecutive pars and had two birdies on the front nine; however, back-to-back holes of a bogey and double bogey put him at one shot over par headed into the turn. A double bogey to kick off the back nine pushed him to three shots over par, but he responded with four consecutive pars to remain at just three over par. He hit a rough stretch heading into the clubhouse, as he had a bogey on each of his last four holes and finished with a seven-over 79 on the day.
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