Lafayette, Louisiana – Fighting Illini men's golf placed all six individuals among the top-30 at the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics on Tuesday, March 1, on its way to it's fourth consecutive Louisiana Classics championship title. It came down to the last few holes, as Kansas stayed hot on Illinois' tail. The Illini (277-281-291--849) shot 15-under par in the tournament, scoring 3-over in the final round of play to close the day just one stroke ahead of No. 45 Kansas. No. 33 Texas A&M shot 11-under par to take third overall.

"We were very fortunate to win today," head coach Mike Small said of the tournament. "It was back and forth on the entire back nine and our three seniors made solid pars on the last hole, which was a very difficult hole. The seniors and sophomore Nick Hardy all played the last three holes at even par and finished 1-under on the last five holes, which is a big statement for them. Kansas put the pressure on us from the very start and we didn't respond as well as we needed to. It was their tournament to win, and at the end the course was very difficult, but some solid play on the last five holes helped us get out."

Detry continued to lead the Orange and Blue through the final round as he earned a second place finish individually, with a total score 6-under par. Detry shot even in the third round of play, finishing just one stroke out of the lead. 

Also among the top-3 finishers, senior Charlie Danielson returned to the collegiate ranks earning a 5-under par total score at the Oakbourne Country Club. Danielson placed third overall, using back-to-back birdies on the back nine to sit 1-under par in the third round of play. 

After a 4-under par score through the first two rounds, sophomore Dylan Meyer started his day with a birdie on the first hole, but negated that with back-to-back bogeys on the front nine. He again eagled the 11th hole on Tuesday, and shot 3-over par in the final round to finish 1-under par in a tie for ninth place overall.

Sophomore Nick Hardy experienced some difficulty to start off his final round, but he used three birdies on the back nine to negate a few bogeys on the day. He shot 2-over par on Tuesday, finishing with a total score 1-over. Hardy also placed among the top-15 individuals as he earned a tie for 13th place. 

Redshird senior Alex Burge finished just outside the top-25 as he tied for 28th overall. He shot 2-over par in the final round for a tournament total 5-over. 

Playing as an individual, freshman Edoardo Lipparelli shot at even par on the final round, negating two bogeys with birdies on the first and 18th holes. His 25th place finish at the Louisiana Classics marks his third top-25 finish this season. 

The Illini will have a quick turnaround this week, preparing for the prestigious Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters. The tournament is set for March 7-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest on Illinois men's golf.