IU struggles in Illinois tourney

Despite the amount of solid shots and putts, the numbers were not what the IU men’s golf team wanted in the end.

The Hoosiers finished 12th at the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club, facing a field that included 10 of the Preseason Top-25. The team fell from sixth place in the first round to eighth place after the second, with a final 892-team tournament total.

Senior co-captains Chase Wright and David Erdy, as well as junior Corey Ziedonis, each carded a one-over-par 71 in the first round, putting them individually tied for 15th.

“Although we’ve played the course before, it’s still tough, and it wouldn’t guarantee that we would play well,” Wright said.

Wright finished lowest for the Hoosiers, tying for 25th with scores of 71-73-76. The senior’s rounds were full of comebacks from bogeys and birdies, which he credited to a patient mindset.

“I thought about taking it one shot at a time and not really worrying about what happened in the past,” Wright said. “I had a few stumbles today coming in, but other than that it was decent. I wish I would’ve played better the last five or six holes.”

Sophomore David Mills tied for 36th after posting 75-75-73, while Erdy finished one stroke behind Mills to tie for 41st.

“The tournament was okay overall. There were definitely some positives, like my putting,” Mills said. “We now know what we’re up against, and I’m looking forward to the next time.”

The team will play at The Firestone Invitational on Oct. 10 and 11 in hopes of making a comeback from this week’s event.

“We just had a bad day,” Wright said. “We know we’ll be fine in competitive fields in the future.”