May 15, 2008

Columbus, Ohio -

Round 1 Team Scores in PDF Format
Round 1 Individual Scores in PDF Format
Round 2 Tee Times in PDF Format

A young Illinois golf team used a steady strong finish to the first round of the NCAA Central Regional to stay in the hunt after the first day of competition. After shooting a +14 298, the Illini are tied for sixth after 18 holes in the 27-school field competing at The Ohio State University Scarlet Course.

Illinois was +9 after five holes then recovered to shoot +5 over the final 13 holes to move up in the standings. The Illini played the morning rounds then held on to steadily move up the field.

"We didn't get off to the start we wanted, but we fought back to pick up momentum as the round went on, something we've done most of the season" said Illinois head coach Mike Small. "This is the type of course, though, that you have to hit head on and we learned that today."

Sophomore Zach Barlow, for instance, was +3 through five holes, but played the final 13 holes at even par with two birdies to finish at +3 74 and is tied for 24th in the 135-player field. Junior Larry Blatt had the best score of the day for Illinois with a two-over par 73 and is tied for 17th after the first round. Sophomore Matt Hoffman is tied for 38th at +4 (75), freshman Scott Langley is tied for 55th at +5 (76) and freshman Chris DeForest is tied for 87th at +7 (78).

"The strength of our team is our depth," Small said. "We have several guys that are capable of finishing in the top 20 or 25. That is why our team is sitting has high as it is after a round where the course won against most of the teams. Nobody in our line-up had experienced a Regional until today, so the guys were feeling out what the whole system is about. What they discovered is that it is just golf and they are capable of competing. If we can putt better and attack the course from the beginning, we can be there in the end. "

Illinois is tied with Michigan for the highest ranking Big Ten school of the five competing in Columbus. Host Ohio State is one stroke back in a tie for ninth at + 15 (299) while Indiana is two strokes behind in 11th at +16 (300). Penn State is in a tie for 19th at +20 (304).

No. 22 Wake Forest leads the field at + 6 (290) followed by No. 1 Alabama at +8 (292), No. 5 Oklahoma State at +9 (293), No. 8 Florida at +10 (294) and Eastern Michigan at +13 (297). Other ranked teams in the field include 19th-ranked Texas A&M tied with the Illini in sixth at +14 (298), 12th-ranked Tennessee tied for 12th at +17 (301) and 9th-ranked Georgia Tech in a tie for 21st at +23 (307).

The 54-hole event continues with round two on Friday. The Illini will tee off beginning at 11:12 a.m. CDT and be playing with competitors from TCU and Texas-Arlington.