IOWA CITY, Iowa – Dodging raindrops and using a seven-over final round score of 295, the Illinois State men's golf team tied for 11th place at the Hawkeye Invitational.
Nationally ranked Kansas (28th) held off host Iowa on the final day, as the Jayhawks used their three-round 852 to top Iowa's 854. Creighton (874), Kansas State (879), South Dakota State (881), Iowa State (883), Minnesota (883), James Madison (888), Cincinnati (889), and Nebraska (890) all finished ahead of the Redbirds' 892, as Northern Illinois tied with the Redbirds and Drake (893) and Kansas City (902) finished behind ISU.
Joe Hodgson closed the weekend with a one-under 71, which tied him for 15th overall in the field, finishing the 54 holes at two strokes over par. He opened his day on the par-three 13th hole, and after two consecutive pars he dropped the first of two Redbird eagles on the day on the par-five 15th hole. A bogey dropped him back to one under par, but he was never even or over par again on the day, as he added a birdie on the par five sixth hole, ending the day with 14 pars, an eagle, a birdie, and two bogeys. His two eagles over the three rounds was the most in the field, as the Redbirds accounted for five of the tournament's 13 eagles.
Felix van Dijk also finished under par in the last round with a 71, which pushed him into a tie for 35th overall in the field. He opened his day with a birdie and was never over-par throughout the entire 18 holes. He traded a bogey and a birdie on his second and third holes, and every time he had a bogey on the round – two other times – he answered with a birdie within three holes, closing the door on the one-under 71.
Transfer Valentin Peugnet had an even tournament, and he closed his weekend with a four-over 76, a round that saw him card 11 pars and the second of the team's two eagles – as he used just three strokes on the 537-yard par five second hole. For the weekend he finished 11 strokes over par, tied for 50th in the deep field.
Alex McCulla, the team's lone freshman, tied for the fourth spot on the team for the day with a five-over par 77, as he had three birdies and eight pars to finish tied for 50th in the tournament. Andrew O'Brien shot his third consecutive 77 of the tournament, using three birdies and nine pars to finish five shots over par on the day, and 15 shots over par for the three rounds, finishing in a tie for 68th place.
The Redbirds return to the course in one week, as the teams tee up at the 2022 MVC Championships at the Country Club of Paducah, starting on Sunday, April 24.
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