Illini Golfers in the Pros

#76      
FlyNavy
GILL-INOIS said:
Illini should be well represented in tournaments this next week

Two PGA Tour events, KFT tourney, PGA Champions Tour, LIV

Genesis Scottish Open with secondary PGA tourney in Kentucky this week with ISCO Championship. Longshots but know Nick Hardy, Adrien Dumont De Chassart and Matthis Besard are all in ISCO Championship. Get those points!
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These tournaments are unique, as they can both give Fedex and/or DP World Tour points depending on the player's memberships. Matthis climbed to 123rd in the DP World Tour, which puts him closer to retaining his membership (113th is the cutoff per the DPWT site). Hopefully he can build on that performance.

ADC has more work to do, as he is 157th in the Fedex standings (needs to get to 125th, but can build it up during the fall). Nick is even lower at 163rd, but he is safe since his win granted a 2-year exemption (thru 2025).

Busy weekend for sure, I counted 11 former Illini in the various tours:

PGA Tour - Scottish Open - Detry. The final 3 slots for the Open are up for grabs, and Detry hasn't qualified for the final major.
PGA Tour - ISCO Championship - Besard, ADC, Hardy (as noted by GILL)
PGA Champions - Kaulig Companies Championship - Strick.
KFT - Ascendant - Campbell, Meyer.
PGA Americas - Explore NB Open - Kuhl, Hunt, Gillard.
LIV Tour - LIV Golf Andalusia - Pieters.
 
#77      
GILL-INOIS
FlyNavy said:
These tournaments are unique, as they can both give Fedex and/or DP World Tour points depending on the player's memberships. Matthis climbed to 123rd in the DP World Tour, which puts him closer to retaining his membership (113th is the cutoff per the DPWT site). Hopefully he can build on that performance.

ADC has more work to do, as he is 157th in the Fedex standings (needs to get to 125th, but can build it up during the fall). Nick is even lower at 163rd, but he is safe since his win granted a 2-year exemption (thru 2025).
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Throw in back-to-back weeks for multiple PGA tournaments. Hopefully the right time for a few guys to capitalize while the Big Dogs are away. Plenty of points/money left to be shared (y)

This Week---Genesis Scottish Open and ISCO Championship

Next Week---The Open Championship and Barracuda Championship
 
#78      
IlliniMugClub37
FlyNavy said:
These tournaments are unique, as they can both give Fedex and/or DP World Tour points depending on the player's memberships. Matthis climbed to 123rd in the DP World Tour, which puts him closer to retaining his membership (113th is the cutoff per the DPWT site). Hopefully he can build on that performance.

ADC has more work to do, as he is 157th in the Fedex standings (needs to get to 125th, but can build it up during the fall). Nick is even lower at 163rd, but he is safe since his win granted a 2-year exemption (thru 2025).

Busy weekend for sure, I counted 11 former Illini in the various tours:

PGA Tour - Scottish Open - Detry. The final 3 slots for the Open are up for grabs, and Detry hasn't qualified for the final major.
PGA Tour - ISCO Championship - Besard, ADC, Hardy (as noted by GILL)
PGA Champions - Kaulig Companies Championship - Strick.
KFT - Ascendant - Campbell, Meyer.
PGA Americas - Explore NB Open - Kuhl, Hunt, Gillard.
LIV Tour - LIV Golf Andalusia - Pieters.
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Crawford also now in Korn Ferry - Monday qualifier. Good luck to all Illini this week.
 
#79      
FlyNavy
IlliniMugClub37 said:
Crawford also now in Korn Ferry - Monday qualifier. Good luck to all Illini this week.
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Congrats to Timmy on his first pro field, great to see! That makes 12 Illini this weekend, probably some kind of record. Anybody else we're missing?

Coach played the qualifier for the Senior Open yesterday, but missed the playoff by a stroke. Would've been cool to see him compete in Scotland...
 
#82      
FlyNavy
Detry finished with a -6 for the day, tied for third (for now). He has played well at the Scottish in the past, so hopefully he can continue to surge.

Great start by Besard in Kentucky, currently -5 and tied for ninth. Strick and Campbell also starting strong in their respective tourneys.
 
#83      
2X2L
Not so trivial. Thomas Detry was a freshman on the Illinois golf team in 2013 that lost the national championship 4-1 to Alabama - and a sophomore by the name of Justin Thomas. But Thomas Pieters beat Justin Thomas for Illinois' only point.
 
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#85      
FlyNavy
Illini are 1-2-3 after Round 1. The scores don't align, but still fun to show it like this:

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Also, Crawford starting strong in his pro debut, -3 thru 5 at the Ascendant!
 
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#86      
GILL-INOIS
Don't think I have seen a PGA Champions event where Stricker wasn't the favorite or at least the top 2-3 favorites in years

Stricker is one of my top favorite golfers of all-time. Solid in the iron and pitching game it catches me off guard when he shanks (not often)

I have some money on him to win and finish Top 5
 
#87      
2X2L
One thing, among several, that I really like about Steve Stricker: that easy, 3/4 swing of his. I'm always telling my Special Olympics player to swing like that. And she is quite successful when she does. Don't try to kill that ball!
 
#88      
2X2L
I hope Thomas is in same group with Justin tomorrow. Would mean great tv coverage for our Thomas. But I don't think it's gonna happen.

Go Illini!

(Nope, just checked. Thomas and Justin are not in the same threesome)
 
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#89      
FlyNavy
2X2L said:
I hope Thomas is in same group with Justin tomorrow. Would mean great tv coverage for our Thomas. But I don't think it's gonna happen.

Go Illini!

(Nope, just checked. Thomas and Justin are not in the same threesome)
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The Thursday/Friday pairings are set before the tournament starts, and are the same groups both days. Saturday is when they get paired based on where they are in the leaderboard - for instance, if they are in a 2-way tie for the lead, they will get paired together.

Another note - Detry is not in the field for next week's Open Championship - he barely missed qualifying via the Top 50 in world rankings. The final 3 Open spots will be handed out at the Scottish Open, and will go to the top three that haven't already qualified for the Open (which is half of the Scottish Open field). So if he can finish strong, he'll be playing next week at Royal Troon. He has done well in the past at this course, losing in a playoff in 2021 and posting a T10 in 2022. Hopefully he can post a solid Friday score and be in one of the final groups after the cut.
 
#92      
GILL-INOIS
Besard T-2nd at ISCO (2 strokes behind leader)

Stricker in 2nd (1 stroke behind leader)

Korn Ferry tourney is still going but Campbell is T-2nd with 5-6 holes left
 
#94      
2X2L
I hope we get good Golf Channel coverage of Matthis. He's paired with leader Coody, 1:50 tee time. Coverage begins at 3 p.m.
 
#96      
ILLINI IN NE
Timmy Crawford had a hole in one on a par 4 today. It was a 365-yard dogleg around a lake, and he cut the dogleg and holed out from 336 yards!

He made the cut at his first KFT start and is currently T19, Brian Campbell is currently T3.

Dylan Meyer missed the cut. I will be hosting Dylan at my home in Omaha for the Pinnacle Bank Championship next month if he gets in the field, so fingers are crossed.

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#97      
Boomauer
Nick Hardy having a rough year after winning last year and getting a 2 year exemption. Was having a good tournament this week...made the cut. 3 under today thru 15, then bogey, bogey, double bogey finish knocked him down to the bottom of the field.šŸ˜ 
 
#98      
ILLINI IN NE
Good finish for Monday qualifier Timmy Crawford. Eagle today on the hole he aced yesterday. He should cash a decent check for his first pro tournament.
Brian Campbell with possibly another top ten finish has gotten closer to that PGA tour card.

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#99      
FlyNavy
Great debut by Timmy Crawford, finishing with a T5 on the Korn Ferry Tour! He is now 128th in the points standings - there are 5 tournaments left in the "regular season", and as long as he stays in the top 156 he will qualify for the 4-tournament KFT finals. If he can find a way into the top 30 (probably would need a win) he could get a tour card, but top 75 will give him a full exemption into the KFT next year, which would be a solid (and attainable) achievement for someone who played his first event in July! His top-10 puts him into next week's field in Missouri, and he'll probably get some sponsor exemptions beyond that if needed. Definitely a great pro start for Crawford!

Article on Crawford's Par-4 ace, and how rare that is

Though 4 strokes behind the leader Del Solar, Brian Campbell carded a -18, which put him into a 2-way tie for 2nd. Another close call for Brian, he is now 8th in the points standings and closer to cementing his return to the Tour next year.
 
#100      
SnakePlissken
FlyNavy said:
Great debut by Timmy Crawford, finishing with a T5 on the Korn Ferry Tour! He is now 128th in the points standings - there are 5 tournaments left in the "regular season", and as long as he stays in the top 156 he will qualify for the 4-tournament KFT finals. If he can find a way into the top 30 (probably would need a win) he could get a tour card, but top 75 will give him a full exemption into the KFT next year, which would be a solid (and attainable) achievement for someone who played his first event in July! His top-10 puts him into next week's field in Missouri, and he'll probably get some sponsor exemptions beyond that if needed. Definitely a great pro start for Crawford!

Article on Crawford's Par-4 ace, and how rare that is

Though 4 strokes behind the leader Del Solar, Brian Campbell carded a -18, which put him into a 2-way tie for 2nd. Another close call for Brian, he is now 8th in the points standings and closer to cementing his return to the Tour next year.
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Noticed the course they played was over 8,000 yards. I know it's Colorado altitude, but wow!
 
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