LAFAYETTE, La. – In a strong field with eight teams ranked inside of the top 100 in the Golfstat National rankings, the Illinois State men's golf team placed eighth overall at the 38th Annual Louisiana Classics.
The Redbirds' three-round 906 had the team finish ahead of Michigan (907), New Orleans (908), SMU (910), New Mexico State (912), Denver (917), and Louisiana Tech (922). The team title went to 15th ranked Texas A&M who had an 866 with #32 Little Rock (877), Sam Houston (881), and #47 LSU (890) finished in the top four while Louisiana (894), Texas State (902), and UTSA (905) closed out the teams in front of the 'Birds.
Alex McCulla shot an even-par 71 over his final 18 holes in a round in which he had a trio of birdies, three bogeys, and a dozen pars. His three-round total of 223 was the second highest on the team and tied for 19th in the tournament field.
Felix van Dijk's third-round 76 – five strokes over par – had a birdie and 13 pars to finish the tournament as the team's highest finisher. His nine-over 222 is the 15th best score in the tournament.
Freshman Pietro Pontiggia carded a final-round 78 with three birdies and six pars to have the first-year Redbird finish in a tie of 63rd overall in the tournament.
Valentin Peugnet finished 78th overall in the tournament field, finishing the tournament with a final-round 79 including two birdies and seven pars.
Parker Wisdom's final-round 81 saw the senior finish tied for 68th in the tournament, the fourth-best finish for the 'Birds in the tournament.
Illinois State returns to the course on Sunday, March 26 when the team competes in the three-day Craft Farms Intercollegiate, hosted at the Craft Farms – Cotton Creek Golf Club in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
