FLOSSMOOR, Ill. – A final-round 286 for the Illinois State Redbirds was the lowest round in the tournament; however, it was not enough to erase it's deficit heading into the final round, as the 'Birds took second at the 2021 MVC Championship.
Illinois State senior David Perkins earned his second consecutive MVC Golfer of the Year award, becoming the fourth player in MVC history to earn Golfer of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. Andrew O'Brien earned All-MVC honors based on his tournament result in addition to his strong play throughout the season.
The Redbirds trailed by 21 heading into the final round, and gained 17 strokes on the leading Loyola Ramblers on the day, and got within as few as four strokes on the round, as Loyola picked up the MVC title with 895 strokes, to 899 strokes from ISU. Southern Illinois (909), Valparaiso (916), Missouri State (924), Bradley (936), Drake (940), UNI (949), and Evansville (972) filed in behind Illinois State.
Leading the way for ISU on the final day was O'Brien, who was the only player over the three days to record a score in the 60's with a 69 (-3). O'Brien had five birdies on the day, along with 11 pars, finishing fourth overall in the field.
Senior Dan Anfield tied for eighth overall, carding an even-par 72 over the final 18 holes, a golf round that saw him with three birdies and a dozen pars, putting a cap on his stellar college career.
Joe Hodgson, also a senior, also finished with an even-par 72 in which he had a trio of birdies and bogeys, along with a dozen pars, closing the tournament with 11 strokes over par and tied for eighth.
Sophomore Felix van Dijk closed his season by carding a final-round 73, a round where he had a trio of birdies and a dozen pars – including a par over each of his final nine holes of the round. He closed in a tie of 10th place in the 50-person field, 12 shots over par for the three rounds.
Perkins closed his final MVC Championship event with a two-over 74, ending the three rounds tied for 16th overall with a birdie and 14 pars on his final round.
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