Redbird Men’s Golf Finishes Second at Badger Invitational

IMAGE COURTESY OF REDBIRD ATHLETICS

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State men’s golf delivered an impressive final round performance to secure a second-place finish at the Badger Invitational on Sept. 23 at TPC Wisconsin.

Illinois State tied for second with Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois, finishing six strokes behind Southern Mississippi, which won the Badger Invitational with a three-round total of 841.

On Monday, the opening day of the Invitational, two lightning delays forced the suspension of the second round. Golfers resumed play on Tuesday to complete the second and third rounds.

Freshman Sam Otwell led the Redbirds in the final round with a five-under 67, finishing the tournament with an overall score of 212. He is tied for the sixth-best tournament score by a freshman in school history.

Otwell reflected on his first collegiate event.

“I wouldn’t say this start exceeded my expectations,” Otwell said. “I knew I was good enough to compete with these guys. I just had to prove it to my teammates, coaches, but especially myself. Not making the first couple tournaments took a big hit to the mental side of my game, so being able to come out and play the way I did helped my confidence a lot.”

Tj Barger also delivered a strong performance finishing a final-round 69 to finish 208. He was able to achieve the 22-lowest tournament score in school history.

Max Faucquez and Pietro Pontiggia each earned top-20 individual finishes. Faucques tied for 14th with a score of 215, while Pontiggia tied for 20th at 217.

Up next, Illinois State travels to Purdue to participate in the Purdue Fall Invitational Oct. 13 at West Lafayette, Indiana.

For all things Redbird golf, make sure to stay tuned to wznd.com.