Illini Men’s Golf In the Pros | March 6

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini alums Thomas Detry and Nick Hardy will take center stage this week at THE PLAYERS Championship, as the prestigious event tees off Thursday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

PGA TOUR

Both Detry and Hardy were in action last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, where Detry tied for 24^th to notch his fifth top-25 finish of the 2022-23 season. With the performance, he moved up to 22^nd in the FedEx Cup and 75^th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

It marks the first time in the field at THE PLAYERS for both former Illini. The 2023 field the iconic event features 49 of the top 50 players on the current FedEx Cup standings, and 43 of the top 50 as listed on the OWGR.

Hardy is set for a morning tee time in Round 1 (7:51 a.m. CT), while Detry will begins his tournament at 12:40 p.m. CT.

PGA Tour Champions

Steve Stricker carded a 9-under 207 (70-66-71) to secure a share of eighth place at the Cologuard Classic in Tucscon, Ariz., last weekend. 

Stricker remains atop the Schwab Cup rankings, after securing his third straight top-10 finish to open the 2023 schedule.