BARK RIVER, Mich. – After shooting a career-low round in the second round of the 2022 Island Resort Intercollegiate, Illinois State senior Valentin Peugnet topped his previous score, and finished with the second-lowest 54-hole score in Illinois State golf history, as the Redbirds shared the team title, out-pacing Michigan and Kentucky in the process.
Peugnet's three-round tournament score of 203 is the second-lowest in program history, behind only the 202 carded by David Perkins at the Bearcat Invitational on Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2019. His 65 not only tops his previous career-low but is tied for the fourth-lowest single round by an Illinois State golfer since 2000.
The team victory is Illinois State's first since winning the Badger Invitational last season, and Peugnet's win is a first for the Redbirds since Perkins was victorious at the 2019 Golfweek Conference Challenge on Sept. 15-17, 2019.
ISU was the only school to go under par in all three rounds, and the teams' three-round 856 ended matching Toledo's total, and with no playoff, the schools shared the 2022 title. Michigan took third overall with an 860, while Kentucky placed fourth with an even-par 864. North Dakota State (869), Miami-Ohio (872), Southern Illinois (874), Valparaiso (879), Bowling Green (889), South Dakota State (895), Kentucky's B squad (901), Green Bay (934), and Northern Michigan (975) rounded out the 13 schools in the tournament.
Peugnet's total put him four strokes ahead of the remainder of the field at the tournament, while Felix van Dijk finished in a tie for 11th with a three-round 214. Will Troy was the Redbirds' third-highest finisher with a three-over 219, placing him in a tie for 23rd, while Alex McCulla tied for 38th with a 223, Pietro Pontiggia tied for 40th with a 224 and Parker Wisdom tied for 45th with a 225.
Peugnet had a blemish-free final round with four birdies on the front nine and three more on the back nine. His 65 – the fourth-lowest individual round since 2000 – is behind only the 63 carded by Tommy Bliefnick at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate on October 8, 2007, a 63 by Joe Emerich at the same tournament a day later, and a 64 from Parker Freiburg at the Snowman Getaway on February 25, 2014. The score is also a new Island Resort Intercollegiate tournament record.
van Dijk rose seven spots in the individual standings over the final day by carding a third-round 69. Through his first 11 holes he was a shot over par; however, he finished strong with four birdies and three pars over the final seven holes to finish with a three-under 69 for the final round. The 214 is a new tournament low for the senior, lower than the 217 he shot at the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, the final tournament of the 2020 season before the remainder of the schedule was canceled because of the COVID19 pandemic.
Troy started his final round of the tournament with a steady six consecutive pars, and sent into the turn one stroke over par. A bogey and double bogey over the first four holes of the back nine pushed his aggregate score to four shots over par; however, he closed his round with four pars and a birdie to take a three-over 75 into the clubhouse.
Wisdom also shot a final-round 75 to tie for the third scorer for the 'Birds, as his round saw birdies on the eighth and 11th holes, in addition to 11 pars for the three-over final round. Closing out his first collegiate tournament, freshman Pietro Pontiggia had two birdies and 10 pars en route to his six-over 78 to close the weekend.
The team returns to action next weekend as ISU will look to defend its title at the Badger Invitational, running from Sunday, September 11 through Tuesday, September 13.
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