Coming into the last two holes of the third round, redshirt senior Maddie May was in contention to win the individual championship at the Illini Women's Invitational. Facing two par 4s after starting on the fourth hole, May bogeyed the pair to finish the tournament fifth.
May was the lowest-scoring Indiana women’s golf member in the three-round tournament. She put together an 8-under-par final score and finished the third round with a 2-under-par 70.
The Hoosiers finished the tournament in fifth place after shooting an 11-under-par combined score. Indiana placed one spot behind Big Ten opponent Illinois, but ahead of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. No team could catch the University of Central Florida after the Knights finished with a 32-under-par final score, including a 15-under-par second round.
Illinois hosted the 15-team tournament at Medinah Country Club — which will host the 2026 Presidents Cup between the United States and the International Team — in Medinah, Illinois, on Monday and Tuesday. The course was played at par-72, 6,166 yards, throughout the two days.
Indiana also got strong performances from redshirt-junior Sheridan Clancy and junior Katie Poots. Both finished the tournament tied for 19th after going 3 under par. Clancy shot a 2-under-par 70, while Poots had an even-par 72 in the third round.
Senior Madison Dabagia opened the tournament with a 1-under-par 71 but finished tied for 51st after a 4-over-par 76 in the final round. Freshman Grace Heiss was the last Hoosier to compete in the tournament. The Dallas, Texas, native produced an 11-over-par total score after shooting 8-over-par in the third round.
Indiana was one of six teams to be under par after the first round. The Cream and Crimson shot a 3-under-par team score. Poots led the effort with a 3-under-par 69. She had four birdies — including three on the front nine — and one bogey on the 15th hole.
May and Dabagia were the other two Hoosiers under par. May started her day with a birdie on the eighth hole and finished with a birdie on the seventh. The Christchurch, New Zealand, native finished with a 2-under-par 70. Dabagia went 1 under par with three birdies and two bogies. Clancy and Heiss both finished with a 3-over-par 75 to open the tournament.
Coming back later in the day on Monday, Indiana warmed up to the course to combine for an 8-under-par team score. Clancy responded to her poor first round by shooting a 4-under-par 68. She had five birdies, with one bogey on the 12th hole.
May also went 4 under par in the second round. She went 2 under par on the front and back nines of the course. May finished the day with six birdies, while bogeying the sixth and twelfth holes.
Dabagia was the only Hoosier over par in the second round. A double bogey on the 12th hole — which four out of five Indiana golfers had a bogey or worse on in the second round — helped her finish with a 1-over-par 73. Poots and Heiss both had an even-par 72 to count towards the team score.
The third round saw Indiana finish the tournament with an even-par total score. The Hoosiers were one of five teams not to be over par.
May had an up-and-down third round. She produced six birdies — including on the 12th, 15th and 16th holes — but the four bogeys hurt her round. She had a chance to catch UCF sophomore Mila Jurine, but a 6-under-par final round pushed Jurine to the tournament win.
Clancy was the only other Hoosier under par on Tuesday, as she finished the third round with a 2-under-par 70. Three birdies and three bogeys from Poots helped her finish the tournament with an even-par 72. Dabagia had a 4-over-par 76 after double-bogeying the sixth hole — which all five Hoosiers had a bogey or worse on in the third round — while Heiss finished with an 8-over-par 80.
Indiana women’s golf will conclude the fall golf season with the Landfall Tradition at the University of North Carolina Wilmington between Oct. 24-26 in Wilmington, North Carolina.
