ST. LOUIS – Illinois State freshman Alex McCulla has earned the seasons' first MVC Golfer of the Week honor of the 2021-22 season, after his ninth-place finish at the Hoosier Collegiate Invitational.
"It is great to see Alex recognized for his opening performance," said Illinois State head men's golf coach Ray Kralis. "He showed that he is ready to lead with three strong rounds that were key to our success this past weekend. He competes courageously and understands how to score. He finds a way."
His ninth-place finish was the top individual finish of any five MVC schools at the event, and of the eight golfers that finished in front of him, five were from Big Ten schools.
He shot an even trio of rounds, carding a one-under 70 in his collegiate opener, followed by a two-over 73 in the second round and an even-par 71 in the finale. His tournament score of 214 was one stroke over par for the three rounds.
His par-four scoring four the tournament – averaging 3.94 strokes per hole and a total of two strokes under par – was tied for the best in the 84-player field.
He also became just the fifth Redbird golfer since 2008-09 to open his collegiate career with a top-10 tournament finish, joining Trent Wallace (1st), Andrew O'Brien (t-4th), David Perkins (t-5th), and Jason Marrs (t-7th).
The Redbirds next take the course on Monday, September 20 and Tuesday, September 21 in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the Ram Masters Invitational, hosted by Colorado State University.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
