The Illinois State men’s golf team will begin its 2025 season at the Island Resort Intercollegiate, hosted by South Dakota State, starting Sunday in Bark River, Michigan. The event will be held at Sage Run Golf Course, a par-72 course stretching 7,375 yards.
Teams competing include Purdue, Michigan State, Saint Mary’s, Michigan, Nebraska, West Virginia, UTEP, Miami (Ohio), UCF, Illinois State, Ball State and South Dakota State. Final rankings from the previous season place Illinois State at 123rd among participants.
Illinois State’s lineup for the tournament consists of TJ Barger, Francis Bautista, Max Faucquez, Aiden Cudney and Gonzalo Cuellar. Pietro Pontiggia will compete as an individual.
The Redbirds have a recent history of strong performances at this event. They won the tournament in their first appearance and finished as runner-up in 2023. In that year they recorded the second-lowest tournament score in school history. Their opening-round score of 278 in 2023 is tied for the 16th-lowest round score in program history; Alex McCulla’s total of 199 that year remains tied for the lowest tournament score by an Illinois State player.
OSF HealthCare provides medical support to the team as part of its partnership with Illinois State Athletics.
Sage Run Golf Course has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of America’s Best New Courses and features a landscape shaped by glacial activity with challenging holes set among hardwoods and open vistas.
Information about tickets and other resources is available through GoRedbirds.com and the official Illinois State Redbirds app.
