WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – After a strong team performance at the Tiger Invitational, the Redbirds got off to another strong start at the Boilermaker Invitational, while Dan Anfield and Andrew O'Brien ended the opening 18 holes tied for the top individual spot.
The Redbirds carded a team score of 285, good for fourth place in the strong field. ISU trails just Indiana (280), Minnesota (281) and Purdue (282) through the first 18 holes, and are ahead of Michigan State (287), Illinois (288), Ohio State (288), Wisconsin (293), Eastern Michigan (294), Kent State (295), Northwestern (296), Cincinnati (297), Southern Illinois (297), Toledo (300), Miami-Ohio (308), and Ball State (309).
"Dan and Andrew gave us big-time performances in the opening round which was huge in a field this strong," said Illinois State head coach Ray Kralis. "The weather was certainly a factor in the second round with periods of heavy rain, so it made a challenging layout even more demanding. We knew it wasn't going to be perfect today, so it was important not to let miscues shake your confidence and emotions. We need to embrace the challenge tomorrow and take advantage of the opportunity we have created."
Through the first 18 holes ISU seniors Dan Anfield and Andrew O'Brien are tied for the individual lead with four-under 68's, while David Perkins is tied for 29th with a one-over-par 73. Felix van Dijk is tied for 53rd with a four-over 76 while Joe Hodgson's six-over 78 is tied for 71st.
The event was also competed on two different courses, the team event held at on the Kampen Course on the Purdue campus, while the team's individuals – which Illinois State brought three – played on Purdue's other on-campus course, Ackerman-allen Golf Course.
Three Redbird golfers finished their second round, while two, Perkins and Anfield, closed the day with three holes remaining on the second round.
O'Brien was never over par over his first round, as he opened the day with a birdie, followed by two pars. He bogeyed the fourth hole to push him back to even, before recording a birdie on three of the next five holes to make the turn into the back nine at three strokes under par. A double-bogey out of the gate in the back nine was followed by a birdie, bogey, and birdie to rebound at two shots under par. After two pars, he closed the round with two birdies in the final three holes to record his season-low score of 68 – one off of his career-low.
Anfield started his round with four pars and a bogey through the first five holes; however, hit a hot stretch on the course where over the course of the next nine holes had an eagle, five birdies and three pars to drop his score to six strokes under par. Immediately after his eagle – which ended his nine-hole stretch – he carded a double bogey before closing the round with three consecutive pars, tying his career-low with the 68.
Reigning MVC Golfer of the Week Perkins' round included two birdies, 13 pars and a trio of bogeys, ending the round with a one-over-par 73.
van Dijk kicked off his round with a pair of pars and a bogey before going birdie-par-birdie over the next three to put his score at one shot under par. A bogey on the ninth hole moved his score to even par heading into the turn, as he opened his back nine with five consecutive pars. He stumbled on back-to-back holes with a bogey and a triple bogey, before ending his round with two straight pars to end with a 76.
Joe Hodgson's opening round saw him record a birdie and a dozen pars, taking a six-over 78 into the second round on the day.
In the individual competition it was freshman Jack Paeglow who leads the trio of Redbird golfers by carding rounds of 74 and 71, tying for 14th place among the 36 golfers. Will Troy tied for 25th in the individual side of the tournament with rounds of 75 and 73, finishing at four strokes over par for the first two rounds, as Parker Wisdom's five-over two-round score (75 and 74) saw him complete the day in 27th place.
The squads return on Sunday to both finish the remainder of the second round – Perkins and Anfield – and complete the third round of the tournament.
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