NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – An Illinois State career that saw David Perkins etch his name as one of the all-time greats in program history ended on Wednesday afternoon at the 2021 NCAA Noblesville Regional.
"It's been a ride," said Perkins. "Obviously I didn't finish like I was looking to. Over my five years I got better every year. The ending of it all hasn't set in yet, but I'm glad I came here and tried to represent the University as well as I could. The team is getting better every year, so I'm excited to keep following and see where the program goes."
Perkins, a 2020 PING Third Team All-American, a two-time MVC Golfer of the year, and the MVC record holder for most Golfer of the Week honors in a career, carded a final-round 80, eight-shots over par and ended the three-day 54-hole tournament with a 227.
"The emotions are a little raw, and its tough to put into words how much he's meant to the program," said Illinois State head men's golf coach Ray Kralis. "He's an impact guy. He has impacted us from the moment he stepped on campus and continued to push himself and elevate his game and helped elevate the program with all he accomplished while wearing a Redbird uniform."
Perkins closes his time as a Redbird with a career scoring average of 72.3 with 10,201 strokes over 141 career rounds. His career total comes after averaging 73.2 strokes per round as a freshman, 73.1 as a sophomore, 72.0 during the 2018-19 season, a ridiculous 69.4 in last years' pandemic-shortened season, and then 72.8 in his final go-around with ISU.
Perkins' final round opened strong with a par on the opening hole and then back-to-back birdies on the second and third hole to drop him to two strokes under par for the day.
"For the guys on the team – his teammates – he's a great teammate and he gave them a glimpse of what is possible," said Kralis. "He came in like a lot of these guys come in and showed them the ropes and how to do it and where you can go. I'm excited for Dave because this isn't the end – it's the end for college. This is just a blip and he has such a bright future in front of him, and he'll continue to build on this. It will be fun to follow his professional career. We wish him all the best and he will be a Redbird for life and he'll always be a part of the program. I was certainly blessed and privileged to coach him."
He had dip over the final five holes of the front nine with a par, a pair of bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys to send him into the turn four shots over par for the round.
His front nine started well with a par on the 10th hole; however, a triple bogey on the 11th hole pushed him to seven strokes over par. He came back with a birdie on the 420-yard par-four 13th hole and closed his tournament with three more pars and a pair of bogeys to card a final-round 80.
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