MOBILE, Ala. – The Illinois men’s golf team, rated No. 5 nationally by Golfstat, is set to officially open the spring season, traveling to the Gulf Coast to compete in the 2023 Hal Williams Collegiate. The two-day event, formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, is hosted by the University of South Alabama, and will be played Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 13-14.
THE SETTING
The Hal Williams Collegiate is held at the Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course in Mobile, Ala. The course – part of Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – has been rated by Golf World Magazine as one of the “Top 50 Public Courses.” It features a Par-72 layout that stretches 7,212 yards.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days with 36 holes set for Monday, followed by the final 18 on Tuesday. Each day is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. ET/8 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The tournament field features 15 programs highlighted by three currently ranked inside the top 50 by Golfstat: Arkansas, Davidson, Illinois (5), Kansas State (21), Kent State, Louisiana, Memphis, Oral Roberts, Seton Hall, South Alabama, Southern Miss (49), Texas State, Toledo, VCU, and Western Kentucky.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Jackson Buchanan
No. 2: Adrien Dumont de Chassart
No. 3: Matthis Besard
No. 4: Tommy Kuhl
No. 5: Piercen Hunt
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Individual: Nico Lang
Individual: Jerry Ji
Individual: Ryan Voois
ILLINI AT THE HAL WILLIAMS COLLEGIATE
The Illini have previously competed at the Hal Williams Collegiate – formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate – five times, including each of the last three seasons. Illinois placed third as a team in the 2022 event, coming off of the 2021 showing in which the Orange and Blue secured the team title with a tournament-record score of 827 (-37). In 2020, the Illini finished as runners-up at Magnolia Grove. Former Illini Michael Feagles also set the individual tournament record in 2021 with a 54-hole total of 200 (-16) to capture medalist honors.
Current members of the Illini roster have combined to play in the event 14 times over the last three years entering Monday. Jerry Ji and Adrien Dumont de Chassart are each playing in the event for a fourth-consecutive year. Ji will tee off as an individual competitor this week…
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