DORADO, Puerto Rico – The Illinois State men's golf team shot an even-par final round at the Dorado Beach Collegiate and finished third overall in the strong field with a three-round score of 844 (-20), which is tied for the seventh-best team tournament score in program history.
ISU had its top four golfers finish inside of the top-20 in the event, as Will Troy and TJ Barger each tied for eighth with a 54-hole score of 209, as the pair have tied themselves with the 24th-best tournament score in program history, as there are now 35 times when a Redbird golfer shot a score under 210.
Tournament host UNCG took the team title with a three-round score of 843, while Southern Miss edged out the Redbirds for runner-up 843-to-844. UConn (850), Loyola Maryland (851), Wofford (851), Winthrop (855), Ball State (860), Temple (860), James Madison (862), Army West Point (866), George Mason (868), Bryant (874), Old Dominion (875), Valparaiso (878), and Appalachian State (880) rounded out the 16 schools in the field.
Troy used four birdies and a dozen pars to accumulate his two-under 70 final-round score, climbing two spots in the individual standings in the process. Barger had four birdies and nine pars en route to his one-over 73, as both he and Troy recorded their second top-10 performance of the season.
Pietro Pontiggia had the team's second-lowest round on Tuesday with a one-under 71 where he had three birdies and 13 pars, while his four-under tournament score of 212 (-4) had him finish in a tie for 15th overall. In the final round McCulla had five birdies – including a stretch of four birdies over a four-hole span – as he also had nine pars for his two-over 74, as he tied for 20th.
Max Faucquez, playing as an individual, shot an even-par 72 with two birdies, two bogeys, and 14 pars, and was at even par and tied for 35th while classmate Aiden Cudney finished with an 81 on the final day, placing 100th.
On March 10 the squad returns to action at the Louisiana Classics Invitational, hosted at Oakbourne Country Club in Lafayette, Louisiana.
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