McLean County Times

For the third consecutive weekend, the Illinois State men's golf team will participate in the 2024 Badger Invitational. The event will take place at the University Ridge Golf Course in Verona, Wisconsin, from Sunday, September 29 to October 1.

The Redbirds have a history of strong performances at this tournament, having competed for ten consecutive fall seasons and winning twice in 2018 and 2021. They finished as runners-up in 2023 and took third place in both 2022 and 2013.

The participants for this year's event include Ball State, Green Bay, Illinois State, Long Beach State, Memphis, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Illinois, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois, Southern Miss, VCU, Washington State, Western Kentucky, Winthrop, and Wisconsin.

The Illinois State lineup includes Will Troy (starting at hole #1 at 10:20 a.m.), Pietro Pontiggia (10:30 a.m.), TJ Barger (10:40 a.m.), Aiden Cudney (10:50 a.m.), Alex McCulla (11:00 a.m.), and individual participant Francis Bautista (starting at hole #10 at 11:10 a.m.).

The Redbirds have set records at the Badger Invitational. Their second-round score of 273 in 2021 remains a tournament record and is tied for their single-round school record. Their two-round score of 559 that same year is the second-lowest in tournament history. David Perkins' score of 65 from the 2018 tournament is tied for the second-lowest single-tournament score in the event's history.

University Ridge Golf Course serves as the official home course for the University of Wisconsin's men's and women's golf teams. Designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., it opened in 1991. The course features five sets of tees ranging from 5,005 to 7,289 yards. It offers diverse terrain including preserved prairie land on the front nine and dense woodland on parts of the back nine.

Further information about Illinois State Athletics can be found on GoRedbirds.com or through the Illinois State Redbirds App.