McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's golf team is competing in the Leadership and Golf Collegiate Championship in Seaside, California. This marks their first tournament within California since the 2014-15 season. The team is facing a strong field of competitors.

Alex McCulla and Will Troy are leading for Illinois State, both tied for 34th place with an opening-round score of 74. BYU leads the tournament with a score of 281, followed by Sam Houston (282), Santa Clara (283), Pacific (283), Seattle (286), Loyola Marymount (287), Nevada (291), Saint Mary's (294), Cal Baptist (297), San Francisco (297), UC Irvine (298), UC Santa Barbara (299), Sacramento State (302), and Illinois State at 303.

Illinois State's Bautista led the team, followed closely by McCulla and Troy. In his round, McCulla scored three birdies and 11 pars along with four over-par scores. Troy achieved an eagle, two birdies, ten pars, and five bogeys. Bautista recorded five birdies and eight pars for a score of 76.

Freshman Aiden Cudney ended his round with a score of 77, placing him tied for 65th. He managed three birdies and nine pars throughout his play. Pietro Pontiggia finished with a six-over 78, tying for 70th place after scoring one birdie and eleven pars. TJ Barger had three birdies and six pars in his eight-over round of 80, leaving him tied for 81st as two rounds remain in the tournament.

GoRedbirds.com provides resources such as tickets to Illinois State events, gifts to the Weisbecker Athletic Fund, multimedia content, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more.