DUBLIN, Ohio – Behind rounds of 299 and 287, the Illinois State men's golf team closed its pre-Championship portion of the season, placing seventh in a strong field at the one-day Muirfield Shootout.
TJ Barger and Francis Bautista each tied for 11th place in the field, finishing with a one-over 145, including a one-under par final round.
Kent State won the 36-hole event with a team score of 579, while Michigan State (580), Miami (Ohio) (580), Eastern Michigan (580), Xavier (582), and Butler (583) finished just ahead of the Redbirds. Central Michigan (601), Ohio (601), Belmont (601), Murray State (608), Bowling Green (611), and Saint Francis (666) closed out the 13 schools in the tournament field.
Barger had rounds of 74 (+2) and 71 (-1) on the day, finishing with a one-over 145, as he had four birdies and 27 pars – the second-most pars in the tournament. His par-five scoring of 4.63 (-3) was tied for the eighth-best in the field, as he had birdies on three of the eight par-five holes on the day.
Bautista had matching rounds of 74 (+2) and 71 (-1) with Barger, while his eight birdies over the 36 holes are tied for the seventh-most in the field. Of the eight birdies, six came in the second round, while his par-four scoring (4.00 / even par average) is tied for the eighth-best in the field.
Pietro Pontiggia finished with a two-round 148 (77, 71) and tied for 21st among the golfers on the day. His par-four scoring average of 3.90 (-2) is tied for the best in the field. He had nine birdies on the day – tied for the fourth-most in the field – with five of those birdies coming in the final round.
Sophomore Max Faucquez and freshman Sam Ottwell each tied for 33rd with a two-round score of 150, Faucquez with matching rounds of 75 and Ottwell with rounds of 76 and 74. Faucquez had four birdies on the day – two in each round – while Ottwell also had four birdies, while his 24 pars in the tournament are tied for the fourth-most in the field.
Rounding out the Redbirds competing in the Monday tournament was Gonzalo Cuellar, who had a score of 156 with consecutive rounds of 78, as he had three birdies and 21 pars for the 36 holes.
The Redbirds return to action on Sunday, April 26 in the opening round of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Championship, hosted at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois.
