‘He Pushes Me To Be Better’: Dumont de Chassart, Kuhl Look for National Glory in Final Postseason With Illini

It’s hard to put Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl’s friendship into words. The pair will even admit that themselves.

But, what started as long-distance communication over social media has morphed into a relationship that has become more than a friendship, and instead, something much closer to a brotherhood.

“There’s not a lot of beating around the bush with our relationship. We’re pretty honest with each other, and I think he’ll say the same,” Kuhl said. “I don’t think I’d be as good as I am right now without him. He’s obviously an All-American, top-10 player in the world, and he pushes me to be better. I don’t think we like losing to each other. Sometimes that’s hard as best friends, but I think we’ve both accepted it, and that’s what makes it fun.”

Dumont de Chassart and Kuhl first connected during their senior years of high school after they both committed to Illinois and were set to compete at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational, one of the most prestigious junior golf tournaments in the world. With Dumont de Chassart commuting to the event from Belgium and Kuhl making the trip from Morton, Illinois, the pair asked to room together, and the rest is history. 

Drawn to Kuhl’s warm and welcoming presence, Dumont de Chassart, who regularly competed in the United States during the winters leading up to his commitment to Illinois, says the connection was instant despite their different backgrounds. 

“He’s just a very nice guy,” Dumont de Chassart said. “He has a big network. He knows a lot of people, and people really appreciate him, so it was very easy for me to make him a friend. He was very welcoming, and he was excited to play at Illinois and to play with me.”

Kuhl could tell Dumont de Chassart was incredibly serious, disciplined, and focused, which earned his immediate respect and admiration. 

“I could tell the first time I met him that he was very serious, and he was obviously a heck of a player,” Kuhl said. “You see him nowadays and how he carries himself, and there’s a reason why he’s good. He’s a stud, and he carries himself in a very positive way.”

Staying relatively in touch while also dealing with the significant time change between their two native countries, the pair also roomed together as freshmen in 2018-19, a year during which both players adjusted to college golf, a new environment,…