Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Golfweek Conference Challenge
Men's Golf tops Iowa with strong performance at Golfweek Conference Challenge
10/02/2016 | 4:08:00 | Men's Golf
COMPLETE RESULTS
The Southern Illinois men's golf team finished in sixth place out of a dozen teams at the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Burlington, Iowa — narrowly edging the host Iowa Hawkeyes by a one-stroke margin.
The field was stacked with seven NCAA Tournament teams from last season, plus two more that narrowly missed the cut. Kansas claimed the tournament title with an 18-under par, three-day score to beat Texas A&M by 13 strokes. The Salukis were 9-over par.
"That's a big win for us to beat a Power Five conference school in Iowa, but this was an entire field of postseason teams, and we showed we're able to compete with them," said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho, whose team returns three golfers from last year's NCAA Tournament squad.Â
Southern (297-282-294) had its best round on Day Two of the tournament, when it was 6-under par, offsetting a 9-over par round on Day One.
"We came out a little hesitant, maybe scared, in Round One," Fetcho acknowledged. "We didn't have the same fearless attitude, and we tried to change that on Day Two. The way we responded in Round Two shows the depth and talent we have on our team."
Individually, Saluki sophomore Peyton Wilhoit tied for eighth place out of 60 golfers, marking the fifth time in his young career he's recorded a top-10 finish. With a 71 today, Wilhoit was 2-under par overall and was second in the field in total pars (40).
"Consistency was the key to his game," Fetcho said. "He made a lot of pars and was in position on a lot of holes, and when he wasn't, he got balls up and down. When he stays within himself and rolls in a couple putts, he can go out and win a golf tournament."
Freshman Carson Seals also had a strong performance for SIU, tying for 23rd place at 3-over par.
"To come away with a top 25 finish against a field like this, it goes to show the talent we have here," Fetcho said. "He has stepped in and made that transition as a true freshman, and that's what we're looking for. Carson has a bright future in front of him."
The Salukis showed marked improvement compared to last season's 13th place finish in a 15-team field at the same tournament. They go right back on the road next weekend against another formidable field at the LSU Intercollegiate.
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