McLean County Times

Illinois State golfers Valentin Peugnet and Alex McCulla had a solid start at the NCAA West Lafayette Regional. Both players shot an opening-round score of 76 (+4) on the challenging Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, placing them tied for 48th overall with two rounds remaining.

This participation marks Illinois State's involvement in six of the last seven NCAA Regionals, with this being the second time during that period that two individuals from ISU are competing.

Peugnet and McCulla began their rounds on the front nine. Each player recorded six pars and three bogeys, turning at +3. On the back nine, Peugnet managed birdies on two of his first four holes, reducing his score to +1 before encountering difficulties on the final two holes. He ended with a double-bogey on hole 17 and a bogey on hole 18, resulting in a round total of four-over 76.

McCulla started his back nine with a par but faced challenges with bogeys on holes 11 and 14. However, he recovered by scoring a birdie on hole 15 and concluded his round with three straight pars to also finish at four-over 76.

Vanderbilt, ranked second nationally, leads in team standings after shooting an impressive 11-under 277 in the first round. Wisconsin's Cameron Huss holds the individual lead after posting a six-under 66.