LONG GROVE, Ill. – Playing in Illinois for the first and only time this season, the Illinois State men's golf team closed the first two rounds of the Kemper Lakes Intercollegiate in fifth place in the 12-team tournament field.
ISU had a 36-hole score of 615, trailing only Drake (584), South Dakota (584), Belmont (599), and South Dakota State (601). Among the schools chasing the Redbirds include Loyola Chicago (618), Valparaiso (620), Morehead State (624), Central Michigan (626), Weber State (633), Bellarmine (642), and Eastern Illinois (648).
Leading the Redbirds on the first day was freshman Fernando Cobo Delgado, who finished with a 36-hole score of 148, and is tied for fifth individually in the field. Cobo Delgado opened with a one-over-par 73 in the first round with three birdies and a dozen pars, while in the second round he came back with two birdies and a dozen pars for a three-over 75. His 24 pars over the 36 holes are tied for the fifth-most in the tournament with a round to play.
Max Faucquez had matching round scores of 75, and his 150 has him tied for 13th. While the rounds reached the same score, they each arrived differently, as he had a birdie and 13 pars in the first round, with four birdies and nine pars in his second. He has a par-four scoring average of 4.10 during the first day, which is tied for eighth-best.
Gonzalo had a birdie and 15 pars for his first-round 74, and he came back with two birdies and eight pars for an 80. His par-three scoring average of 3.00 is tied for sixth in the field, while his 154 for the two rounds is tied for 27th.
ISU's Sam Ottwell has a 36-hole score of 163, as he had a birdie and 18 pars as he had rounds of 82 and 81 on the day, and is tied for 59th.
Gabriele Bravin had rounds of 85 and 81 for a 166, which is tied for 66th in the tournament, as he had two birdies and 16 pars.
Playing as an individual, Aiden Cudney had rounds of 85 and 76, while his 161 is tied for 53. He had a birdie and eight pars during the opening round, before adding four birdies and eight pars in his second. Rayden Tee, also playing as an individual, had matching rounds of 83, as he had a birdie and 21 pars over his 36 holes.
The Birds tee off on Tuesday morning starting at 8:30 a.m., and will golf alongside South Dakota State and Loyola Chicago.
