Illinois had an up-and-down day at the NCAA Championships, ending up at 5-over 285 through 18 holes and in a tie for ninth place. Adrien Dumont de Chassart had the top showing for Illinois on Friday, finishing at 2-under 68. The stroke play portion of the national tournament continues through Monday, with the top-15 teams making it past the Sunday cut before the field is whittled down to eight teams after the conclusion of Monday’s final stroke-play round. The top-eight teams then advance to the match play quarterfinals, which take place on Tuesday. Illinois is currently in seventh place at even par.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Illinois had an up-and-down day on Friday at the NCAA Championships. The Illini ended up at 5-over 285 through 18 holes and in a tie for ninth place with 12 of the 30 teams still on the Raptor Course at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
Adrien Dumont de Chassart had the top showing for Illinois on Friday, as the fifth-year senior carded two birdies on his final nine to finish at 2-under 68. He was tied for sixth.
Dumont de Chassart started fast (three birdies in five holes) but slipping back to even par after a bogey on the par-4 first hole (his 10th of the round).
Jackson Buchanan (71), Tommy Kuhl (72) and Piercen Hunt (74) rounded out the Illini’s scoring players on Friday. Buchanan was tied for 32nd, while Kuhl was in a tie for 52nd and Hunt was tied for 92nd on the leaderboard.
The stroke play portion of the national tournament continues through Monday. The top-15 teams make it past the Sunday cut before the field is whittled down to eight teams after the conclusion of Monday’s final stroke-play round.
The top-eight teams then advance to the match play quarterfinals, which take place on Tuesday.
Illinois Drops to Seventh Place After Halfway Point of Opening Round
Illinois is nearing the finish of its opening round. And the Illini have lost some ground on the leaderboard.
Mike Small’s team is in seventh place alone at 2-over par. Four teams are leading at even par with Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech all on that number.
Adrien Dumont de Chassart’s birdie on the par-5 fourth hole moved him back into red figures on Friday, with the Illinois fifth-year senior the team’s top player on the course at Grayhawk Golf Club. Dumont de Chassart is 1-under through 13 holes.
Illinois Tied for Third After Halfway Point of Opening Round
Illinois has reached the halfway point of its opening round at NCAA Championships.
The Illini are at even par as a team, with Alabama and Mississippi State both leading the way at 1-under In view of all the above. Illinois is tied with four other schools in third place, and 11 teams are within two shots of the co-leaders.
At the turn, Jackson Buchanan is having the best round so far for Illinois with the sophomore at 2-under through 11 holes on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club. Buchanan has eight pars, one bogey, one birdie and one eagle for his round.
LIVE SCORING: Updates from Friday’s action can be found here.
In view of all the above, it was a mixed bag for the Illini on day one at the NCAA Championships. Adrien Dumont de Chassart had a strong showing, but the team as a whole struggled to find consistency on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club. With three more days of stroke play to go, the Illini will need to regroup and put together some solid rounds to advance to the match play quarterfinals.
