SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. – The Illinois State men's golf team struggled in the second of three days at the 2024 MVC Championship, hosted at The Club at Porto Cima. The Redbirds head into the final day of the three-day event in ninth place overall with 18 holes remaining.
Alex McCulla is tied for 28th to lead the Redbirds in the field through 36 holes, while Parker Wisdom (t-30), Valentin Peugnet (t-35), Felix van Dijk (t-35) and TJ Barger (40) round out the five Redbird golfers in the field.
Southern Illinois is the 36-hole leader with a 565, with Missouri State the top chaser with a 579. Valparaiso (583), Murray State (585), Belmont (588), Drake (597), Bradley (603), and Evansville (604) are just ahead of ISU's 607, while Northern Iowa's 610 closes out the 10 schools in the Championship.
The Redbirds tee off tomorrow morning starting at 8 a.m. with TJ Barger going off the 10th hole. van Dijk tees off at 8:20 a.m., Peugnet at 8:30 a.m., Wisdom at 8:40 a.m. and McCulla the final ISU golfer off the tee at 9 a.m.
Illinois State – starting on the 10th hole – got a hot start before struggling through the middle part of the round.
McCulla and Barger each tied for the team lead on the day with a 76, as Barger opened play with a birdie on the first hole, and after two pars recorded an eagle on the par-five 13th hole – ISU's only eagle of the tournament. The sophomore had eight pars and two total birdies on his four-over round. McCulla had a pair of birdies and made the turn to the back nine at one over par, before adding five more pars and a birdie on his back nine for the 76 on the par-72 course.
Wisdom had four birdies – including two in a row on his 15th and 16th holes – to go with eight pars for his 77 (+5), while van Dijk had a birdie and 10 pars for his seven-over 79. Peugnet was the team's fifth golfer on the day with an eight-over 80, as he had three birdies and seven pars over his 18 holes.
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