DORADO, P.R. – Illinois State senior TJ Barger saved his best for the final round at the Dorado Beach Intercollegiate, as he closed out the tournament with a two-under 70 – his second round under par at the three-round event – while the Redbirds took ninth overall.
Barger's two rounds under par gives him 16 rounds at or under par for the season, which is tied for the ninth-most in a season in program history. Over his three years at ISU, he has had 43 career rounds at or under par, which is the fifth-highest total in program history, six behind former teammate Valentin Peugnet and 11 behind another former teammate, Alex McCulla for third in the record books.
Stetson ran away with the team title behind a tournament score of 849, eight strokes ahead of Southern Miss' 857. UNCG (860), Elon (862), and George Mason (863) rounded out the top five while Butler (865), Appalachian State (875), and Army West Point (881) all finished just ahead of the Redbirds' 884. George Washington (889), Georgia State (890), Old Dominion (900), Temple (913), Providence (920), and Bryant (923) rounded out the 15 schools in the field.
Barger had four birdies and a dozen pars, and his three-round score of 220 put him in a tie for 31st place individually. His 12 birdies over the three rounds were tied for the eighth-most in the tournament.
Max Faucquez shot an even-par 72 on the final day, using three birdies and 13 pars. His three-round 221 saw him finish in a tie of 34th place. Faucquez' 38 pars over the 54 holes were tied for the ninth-best among all golfers in the tournament. Finishing one stroke behind was freshman Sam Ottwell, whose 222 came via a final-round 73, as he had three birdies and 11 pars, tying for 39th place.
Francis Bautista was ISU's fourth finisher, both on the day and over the totality of the three days, as he had a two-over 74 on the final round, and shot a 224 over the 54 holes, which tied him for 49th. Pietro Pontiggia closed his tournament with a four-over 76 on the final round, and his 227 was tied for 57th. Individual Gonzalo Cuellar tied for 82nd after his final-round 80 put his three-round score at 235.
The Redbirds take a weekend off before hitting the road to Lafayette, Louisiana, to compete in the Louisiana Classics Invitational, hosted at Oakbourne Country Club.
