GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Redbirds climbed another spot, into tenth place overall, as ISU carded a one-over team round at the 2022 Craft Farms Intercollegiate.
"I loved how we got out of the gate today ready to go," said Ray Kralis, head men's golf coach. "We were one of the hottest teams through the opening nine, but then we gave too many strokes back coming home. That has plagued us most of the year and really negated some great play from our guys. If we can clean up a few things, we can build momentum quickly – so we leave with hope."
South Alabama ran away with the tournament title with a three-round total of 842, 23 strokes ahead of Southern Illinois and Georgia State in second place. Louisiana (866) and Lamar (868) rounded out the top five. Rice (870), Eastern Michigan (872), Oral Roberts (872), and Oakland (872) all finished just ahead of the Redbirds while Eastern Kentucky (885), DePaul (892), and UConn (896) rounded out the schools in the field.
Leading the way for the weekend for the Redbirds was Joe Hodgson who tied for 11th in the field with a one-under 71, closing the three rounds with an even-par total of 216.
"It was another solid tournament for Joe," Kralis said. "He has matured significantly as a player and has proven he can be counted on."
Hodgson was never over par in his final round, as he opened his day with birdies in two of his first three holes, as he had three total birdies, two bogeys and 13 pars in his final round of the tournament, narrowly missing a top-10 finish.
ISU had three players tied with identical three-round totals of 223, as Alex McCulla, Felix van Dijk, and Valentin Peugnet all closed tied for 44th in the field. McCulla had a strong start to his day with an eagle on his opening hole and reached as low as five strokes under par at the turn following stretch of four birdies over five holes. He struggled over his back nine with four pars and five bogeys, taking an even-par 72 into the clubhouse.
van Dijk's front nine saw three birdies over his first eight holes and was three under par before back-to-back holes – his 13th and 14th of the day – pushed him back to even par. He closed his round with four consecutive pars to remain at even par at the end of the round.
Peugnet found himself three strokes over par after five holes, but rebounded with a birdie on his eighth hole and an eagle on his 12th hole, before closing the final six holes with three pars, a birdie, a bogey, and a double-bogey, carding a final-round 74.
Andrew O'Brien was the team's throw-away golfer in the final round, as he finished with a three-over 75. He opened strong with two birdies and three pars over his first five holes; however, hit a struggle portion of the course with two pars and four over-par scores over the next six holes, pushing him to three shots over par, where he stayed for the remainder of the round with seven straight pars to close the tournament.
The final member of the ISU traveling squad was Parker Wisdom who was the team's individual for the tournament. Wisdom carded a four-over 76 with three birdies and nine pars over the final round.
ISU returns to action on Saturday, April 9 when the squad travels to West Lafayette, Indiana, to compete in the Boilermaker Invitational.
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