IOWA CITY, Iowa – A first nine holes in which the Redbirds were red-hot was countered by a growing wind over the mid-morning that plummeted scoring across the field. Despite the robust breeze, Illinois State remains inside the top-four overall and in the hunt for the title at the 2024 Hawkeye Invitational.
Senior Parker Wisdom has paced the Redbirds through the first 36 holes of the tournament and is three shots under par through the opening two rounds and is tied for sixth overall in the field. Alex McCulla and Felix van Dijk are each one shot under par after the first day, and tied for 17th, while Will Troy is even par and tied for 26th.
Wisconsin is the first-day leader at the tournament with a two-round 558, while Central Arkansas (563) and TCU (563) are the only other two schools ahead of ISU after the first day. Tournament host Iowa (566), Nebraska (567), South Dakota State (567), Northern Illinois (570), Southern Illinois (571), Creighton (576), Kansas City (577), Wichita State (577), Kansas (578), Missouri State (578), Murray State (587), and Drake (591) round out the 16 schools in the tournament field.
Wisdom – playing as an individual in this tournament – had a rocky first 18 holes, as he had four birdies, four bogeys, and 10 pars, all balancing out to an even-par opening round. Starting on the 18th hole in the second round, he was never over par, as a pair of pars and a bogey propelled him to one under par on the day and round, and he was three shots under par through 11 holes. A lonely bogey on his 16th hole – his only bogey of the second round – was quickly countered with his fourth and final birdie of the round to finish three under par.
van Dijk started his day strong, with three birdies and a bogey over his first nine holes and stayed at two shots under par through 13 holes; however, three bogeys over his final five holes pushed him to one shot over par his first time around the course. In his second round he was never over par, as he opened play with a par and a birdie. Eight holes later he recorded his solitary bogey on the second round, as he closed strong, using two birdies and eight pars over his final 10 holes to finish the second round with a two-under 69.
McCulla used a fast start to go three under par through his first six holes and remained at three under par through his first 11 holes; however, the breeze took its toll on the junior, as he closed his day with three bogeys and four pars to make the turn between rounds with an even-par 71. Opening with a par and a birdie in his second round, McCulla – like Wisdom and van Dijk – was never over par on the final 18 holes of the day. His score dipped to as low as two shots under par through six holes; however, he was back to even par six holes later. He closed the final third of the second round with five pars and a birdie to stand one shot under par with 18 holes to play.
Troy had a mild start to his tournament, opening with five consecutive pars before a bogey on his sixth hole pushed him above par. A birdie two holes later dropped him back to even; however, a seven-hole stretch with four pars and three bogeys pushed him to three over par. He closed his day heroically, with a birdie on the par-four first hole (his 17th hole), and then an eagle on the par-five second hole, to close his opening 18 holes at even par. He added a second eagle on the day in the second round and is the only golfer in the field with two eagles over the first day. He was able to use the eagle and two birdies to counteract the four bogeys on the round, as he carded a second-consecutive 71 on the day.
Valentin Peugnet struck gold to start his day, as through his first 13 holes he was five shots under par; however, after a par on his 14th hole, he ended his round with four consecutive bogeys, making the turn between rounds with a one-under 70. Over his second round he added another birdie – his sixth of the day – to go with 13 pars, finishing three shots over par with a 74.
TJ Barger exploded like a rocket at the start of the tournament, opening with an eagle on the par-five second hole, and was six under par through his first eight holes, and crafted a back nine in the opening round that saw him with six pars and three bogeys, leading the team after the first 18 holes with a three-under 68. He had an additional birdie on his second round, as he hit a rough three-hole stretch at the tail end of it, finishing with a six-over 77 heading into the final round.
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