Golfers third at Mobile Bay Intercollegiate
Updated: February 19, 2013
MOBILE, Ala.
(UI Release) - Illini senior Mason Jacobs and sophomore Brian Campbell finished tied
for fifth and all five Illinois players placed in the top
40 as Illinois finished third at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on
Tuesday at the par-72, 7,212-yard Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course.
After
they finished the second round in the morning, the Illini combined to
shoot a five-under-par 283 in the third round. Junior Thomas Pieters and
freshman Charlie Danielson each carded two-under-par rounds of 70 to
lead the way, and all four scores that Illinois counted in the third
round were even par or better. Danielson tied for 16th (+4) overall,
Pieters battled flu-like symptoms throughout the day
to tie for 22nd (+5) and freshman Thomas Detry tied for 39th (+9).
"It's
encouraging the way we finished against a field this tough this early
in the season," Illinois head coach Mike Small said. "We played better
today,
but the second round really hurt us. That's the round where a lot of
tournament are won and lost, and it's disappointing that we din't play
as well as we could have. But I was pleased with how we rebounded.
"We're
identifying places we need to get better and we're building confidence
in things we do well. And when the fourth and fifth guys in your lineup
finish fifth in the tournament, that's really encouraging. We're just
trying to find out who we are and see where we can improve."
Campbell
finished the tournament with the second-best scoring average on par-5
holes, recording a 4.50 stroke average across the three rounds. He also
carded the second-most birdies in the tournament with 11.
Pieters
and Danielson were clutch in the third round for Illinois after
struggling a bit in the first two rounds. Pieters birdied Nos. 6 and 7
to make
the turn at -2. He bogeyed No. 11 but got the shot back on No. 13 before
playing par golf the rest of the way for a -2 round. Danielson was a
bit more inconsistent on the front nine, making the turn at +1. But he
birdied Nos. 11 and 12 to get into red numbers,
then added a birdie on No. 18 to finish -2 for the round.
Jacobs,
who started on No. 4, birdied No. 9 after bogeying No. 8, then added a
birdie on No. 13. He bogeyed No. 18 but birdied his final hole, No. 3,
to finish -1 for the day.
