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THE GOG BLOG by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy. In the fitting bay at Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville.
The Fighting Illini Men’s Golf Team had their season end one match to early at the NCAA National Men’s Golf Championships in Eugene Oregon.
Illinois ranked No.1 or No. 2 the entire season, is going to finish the year ranked No.3 after a semi-final loss to the University of Oregon Ducks.
Illinois had a great 4th and final round in the stroke play to move up into the second seed of the match play part of the championship.
As the No. 2 seed they drew No. 7 South Carolina in the quarterfinals. That match went the way of the Illini with a 4&1 score.
The Illinois Golf Team at it’s home practice facility in Champaign.
South Carolina got the first point when Dylan Meyer lost 4&3. But Illinois came back and won all four of the other matches.
Edoardo Lipparelli, Thomas Detry, Nick Hardy and Charlie Danielson all earned a full point and Illinois won 4-1 to move onto the semi-finals.
Tuesday morning Illinois faced the 6th seeded Ducks and needed a win to advance from the final four and into Wednesday afternoon’s NCAA championship match vs the winner of Texas and USC. But it wasn’t to be losing 3-2.
“I thought Oregon played great,” coach Mike Small said. ” They made shots from off the green, they knew what they were doing and where to go. They made the putts you need to make in a match like this.”
The match came down to the final two matches, after Thomas Detry won the first macth for Illinois by a 5 & 3 score. Detry took the lead on the second hole and never trailed. Then Oregon came right back when Edoardo Lipparelli lost 5 & 4.
Nick Hardy trailed early but came back to tie his match, only to fall behind again on the back nine, losing his match 5 & 3.
Dylan Meyer gave Illinois hope when he took down Oregon’s top player and newly crowned NCAA champion Aaron Wise (finalist in the 2015 Western Amateur) 1 Up.
The final match had senior Charlie Danielson against Oregon’s Sulman Raza. Raza had an early lead, but Danielson tied things up and took a 1 Up lead after 8 holes. After Raza had the after 13 holes, Danielson squared things up on the 15th hole. But Raza won the next hole and held on for the victory by a score of 1 Up.
“Wehn you finish third in the country and you are ranked top 3 all year and you are disapointed at the end of the season, I think it shows a lot for this program,” said coach Small. “This was one of the best seasons the program has ever had and all of our kids are a part of it.”
Texas and Oregon will play for national championship. Local Illinois player Doug Ghim of Arlington Heights will play for Texas, along with 2014 Western Amateur Champion Beau Hossler who won at Beverly CC.
Four Illinois players were voted Ping All-Region. Charlie Danielson, Nick Hardy, Thomas Detry and Dylan Meyer. Illinois won nine tournament titles, their 4th straight regional, it’s seventh straight Big Ten Title, and finishes in the top 5 in the country for it’s fifth straight season. Mike Small was coach of the year in the Big Ten.