VERONA, Wis. – For the third consecutive round at the 2024 Badger Invitational, junior TJ Barger finished under par, as he shot a one-under 71 on the course during a day in which no team carded a score under par, as ISU tied for fourth place in the 16-team field.
The Redbirds shot a final-round 299 to give them a three-day total of 870, knotted alongside Memphis and Washington State. Northern Illinois won the team title in the event with a round best team score of 292, finishing with an 855, while Long Beach State (858), and tournament host Wisconsin (858) finished ahead of the Redbirds. Nebraska (873), Minnesota (875), Southern Miss (877), Ball State (892), South Dakota State (892), VCU (902), Southern Illinois (903), Winthrop (908), Western Kentucky (916), and Green Bay (927) rounded out the 16-team tournament.
A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Barger, had rounds of 69, 70, and 71 on the par-72 course –his final-round score marked the sixth-best individual score on the day – to finish with a three-round 210, in sole possession of fourth place individually. Alex McCulla and Pietro Pontiggia each tied for 25th with a three-round 220, while Will Troy and individual Francis Bautista tied for 45th with a 54-hole score of 225. Aiden Cudney rounded out the six Redbirds in the field with a three-round 230, tying for 69th.
Barger had four birdies, 11 pars and three bogeys in his round for his final round that led to a new career-low tournament score.
McCulla used four birdies and nine pars to card a one-over 73, while Pontiggia also had four birdies and used seven pars for his five-over 77.
Cudney completed his turn around the course with a birdie and 10 pars for his 78, while Troy had two birdies and 10 pars in his 79. The lowest individual round on the squad came from its individual golfer, as Bautista carded a two-under 70 in the final round, using four birdies, two bogeys and a dozen pars.
After three straight weekends of tournaments, the Redbirds take a weekend off before finishing the fall season on October 21-23 at the Leadership and Golf Collegiate Championship, hosted in Monterey, California.
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