BATH, Mich. – Making the first team NCAA Regional appearance since 2007, the Illinois State Redbirds started the day hot – the team was as far as six shots under par through the front nine of the course - before Redbirds cooled off and capped the day at 12th place in the deep regional field and are just nine strokes away from the national qualifying spot.
The team carded a 288, the program-record for a NCAA Regional team score, with two golfers – Parker Wisdom and Felix van Dijk – carding two-under-par scores of 69 on the day. The pairs' score is the first time since 2017 that a Redbird golfer shot in the 60's, as Trent Wallace shot an opening-round 68 en route to qualifying as an individual to the NCAA Championships that season.
The Redbirds will tee off tomorrow morning starting at 8:25 am (CT) alongside Wisconsin and San Diego.
Wisdom's score is a new collegiate career-low, as he and van Dijk's matching scores have them tied for 20th overall. Valentin Peugnet and Pietro Pontiggia each finished with a four-over 74 is tied for 69th while Alex McCulla, ISU's fifth scorer on the day, shot a six-over 77.
Georgia, ranked 34th by GolfStat, lit up the course on the day with an opening round 266 (-18) while tournament host Michigan State and third-ranked Illinois are tied for second with a 272. Texas (ranked 15th) is fourth with a 275 while #22 Oregon and #50 Little Rock each shot a 279, close the first day sitting in a tie for a top-five spot which by the end of Wednesday will advance the team to the NCAA Championship. Florida, ranked 10th in the country shot a 280 while #27 Kansas State (281), Liberty (283), Wisconsin (284), and #46 San Diego (286) finished just ahead of ISU's 288.
Wisdom had three birdies on the round, and was never over par on the round, as he started with four pars before carding a birdie on the par-five 14th hole. A bogey on the ninth hole sent him into the turn at even par, and after five pars to start his back nine he birdied back-to-back holes – both par 4's – in the 364-yard sixth hole and the 428-yard seventh hole. He closed his day with two pars to finish with the two-under final score.
As part of the quick start by ISU, van Dijk birdied three of his first five holes to sit at three under par through the first five holes. He hit a rough stretch of the course to close his front nine with a bogey, par, and double bogey; however, rebounded at the turn with a birdie on his 10th hole (the first hole on the course) and after five pars a birdie on the par-four seventh hole (his 16th) to drop to two strokes under par. He closed the round with two pars to finish at two strokes under par.
Playing in his first postseason event, freshman Pietro Pontiggia had a slow start with a bogey and double bogey over his first two holes; however, the youngest Redbird rebounded fast, and over the next 15 holes he had 11 pars, two birdies, and two bogeys, before he closed his round with a bogey on the final hole to send him into the clubhouse at four strokes over par.
Peugnet had a stellar opening to his round, opening with three pars before coming back with three consecutive birdies, as no other golfer in the tournament had more consecutive under-par scores than Peugnet. Sitting at three under par he closed his front nine with a bogey, and then hit a rough patch on the third through fifth holes with a bogey and two double bogeys. He closed strong with three pars and a single bogey over the final four holes to go into the clubhouse with a four-over 75.
McCulla opened the day with a steady diet of seven pars; however, the bogey-bug bit him starting on his eighth hole, as he had a four-hole stretch of three bogeys and a double-bogey. His final seven holes he played at one over par with four pars, a birdie and two bogeys, finishing with a six-over 77 on the round.
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