McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's golf team faced a challenging start at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship, with their top four golfers finishing just one stroke apart in the opening round. The team now needs strong performances on Monday and Tuesday to defend their title as MVC Champions.

Southern Illinois emerged as the leader after the first day, scoring 278. Missouri State followed with 285, while Valparaiso, Belmont, Murray State, Drake, and Bradley all finished ahead of Illinois State's score of 299. Evansville and Northern Iowa trailed behind the Redbirds.

Senior Valentin Peugnet led Illinois State with a team-low score of 74, tying for 20th place overall. Alex McCulla, Felix van Dijk, and Parker Wisdom each scored 75, placing them in a tie for 27th. TJ Barger ended his round with a score of 79, standing in 43rd position with two rounds remaining.

Peugnet had a rough start with bogeys on his first three holes but recovered to finish his last 15 holes one under par. He closed his back nine two under par with birdies on the 13th and 17th holes.

McCulla achieved birdies on both halves of the course. He finished his front nine two over par and ended three over par after completing his back nine.

Van Dijk also started slowly but managed seven consecutive pars to make the turn at two over par. Despite some challenges on his back nine, he concluded strongly with birdies on the final stretch to card a score of three over par.

Wisdom began consistently with pars before securing a birdie on his seventh hole. Although he encountered difficulties towards the end of his round, he matched McCulla's and van Dijk's scores by finishing at three over par.

Barger had an inconsistent day marked by double bogeys towards the end of his front nine but responded positively in parts of his back nine to conclude at seven over par.

Illinois State will begin their second round on Monday morning from the tenth hole at 9:40 a.m., aiming for improved performances in pursuit of retaining their championship status.

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