McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's golf team delivered a balanced performance on the opening day of the Boilermaker Fall Invitational, positioning themselves in fourth place among 15 schools with one round remaining in the 54-hole tournament.

All five Redbirds players are within the top-40 overall standings. Team leader Alex McCulla is currently in third place with a three-under 141 after 36 holes.

Indiana University leads with an 11-under 565, followed by Miami (Ohio) at nine-under 567. Host Purdue is ahead of Illinois State University (ISU) by one shot, standing at 581 to ISU's 582. The rest of the field includes Marquette (584), Wisconsin (584), Iowa (584), Toledo (587), VCU (588), Northern Illinois (591), Southern Illinois (594), Ball State (599), Purdue Fort Wayne (602), Western Kentucky (604), and Butler (607).

McCulla posted rounds of 68 and 73 for his three-under score. Pietro Pontiggia is tied for 22nd, TJ Barger tied for 28th, Aiden Cudney tied for 35th, and Max Faucquez tied for 39th individually. The Redbirds will be paired with Iowa and Marquette in the final round, starting on holes four through seven.

McCulla's first round included six birdies, resulting in a four-under-par opening round. He added three more birdies in his second round to finish with a one-over 73. Only two other golfers have better scores than McCulla.

Pontiggia started strong but had three over-par scores over nine holes, ending his first round with a one-over 73. His second round mirrored his first with five consecutive pars before finishing with another one-over 73.

Barger began the tournament three shots over par through five holes but played consistently afterward. He completed his first round with three birdies and finished his second round with a one-under 71.

Freshman Cudney maintained steady play throughout his rounds, finishing both rounds at three-over-par scores of 75 each.

Faucquez also recorded consistent performances in both rounds, ending each at three-over-par scores of 75.

In the Boilermaker Individual event at Ackerman-Allen Golf Course, Francis Bautista and Will Troy are each in the top-10 among the field of 36 competitors. Bautista ended with an even-par score of 142 to tie for sixth place. Troy finished his rounds with scores of even-par and one-over-par respectively.

Both Bautista and Troy will participate in the final round on Monday morning starting at 8 a.m. CT.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App remain sources for tickets, multimedia content, merchandise, photos, and more related to Illinois State athletics.

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