Illini Second After Round 1 at NCAA Bath Regional

BATH, Mich. – The experience of the Fighting Illini men’s golf team showed through during Monday’s opening round of the NCAA Bath Regional at Eagle Eye Golf Club, as the Orange and Blue’s trio of fifth-year seniors – Matthis Besard, Adrien Dumont de Chassart, and Tommy Kuhl – combined to shoot 11-under and helped the team overcome a brief mid-round swoon to finish at 12-under in tie for second place, with host Michigan State, after 18 holes of competition.

The Illini’s 272 leaves the regional’s top-seeded team six strokes off the pace of Round 1 leader Georgia (-18) as the program chases its sixth regional title under head coach Mike Small. Overall, the Illini are seven strokes ahead of the fifth-place tie between Little Rock and Oregon with 36 holes remaining, and an NCAA Championship berth on the line for the top five teams after 54 holes.

Besard, who tied Kuhl for third as Illinois’ top finishers at the Big Ten Championship, started strong and never looked back. The grad transfer, making his regional debut as an Illini, opened with a birdie on No. 1 and remained bogey-free throughout his day. He added three more birdies on Nos. 7, 10 and 16, to move to 4-under where he sits in a tie for fifth with fellow Belgian, Dumont de Chassart.  

Dumont de Chassart, however, arrived at his 67 a bit differently than Besard. After back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, he bogeyed No. 9 to close the front at 1-under; a third birdie on 10 moved him to 2-under before it was erased by a double-bogey, on the par-3 12^th hole, that slid him back to even. But the three-time Big Ten Golfer of the Year responded by closing his round with birdies on 16 and 17 before posting an eagle on the par-5 18^th, to rocket back into the top five.

Kuhl’s round opened with seven straight pars before he sandwiched his lone bogey of the day between birdies on Nos. 8 and 10. He finished 3-under on the back nine with two more birdies on 14 and 17, to close his round one stroke behind Besard and Dumont de Chassart in a tie for 12^th.

Behind the team’s three fifth-year seniors, junior Piercen Hunt rounded out the scoring for the Illini with a 1-under 70 to sit in a tie for…