Friday, October 20
Paradise Island, BF
Southern Illinois University
vs
White Sands Bahamas Invitational
Credit: Ronnie Archer
Richie and Thornton Top 15 Finishes Spotlight White Sands Bahamas Invitational
10/22/2023 | 8:20:00 | Men's Golf
Salukis Finish Fourth As Team, Fourth Best 54 Hole Performance In Program History
PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS- Dain Richie and Andrew Thornton post top-11 individual finishes to help lead Southern Illinois to a fourth place finish in the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational at the Ocean Club Golf Course on Paradise Island, Bahamas. SIU never fell lower than tied for fifth in the tournament as a team. According to records on hand, the 839 team score for a 54 hole tournament is the 4th lowest in program history. The last time the Salukis recorded a score of 839 as a team was 2006 at the Buffalo Rock/Southern Showdown.
 "This tournament was an amazing experience in many different ways," said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. "The Bahamas and their partners really know how to put on a first class event.  I believe each of our guys will remember this unique tournament experience for the rest of their lives. This was an event where the scoring was really low so you had to throw your comfort zone out the window and just keep attacking every single hole.  I think for the most part our guys handled this challenge well."
Dain Richie posts back to back second and third round scores of 68 to finish in the top 10 of the individual leaderboard. Richie's second round was highlighted with the first eagle of the weekend for SIU on 602 par 5 on the second hole. His final round was spearheaded with seven birdies.
Andrew Thornton saved his best round for the final day of action on Sunday, posting a 66 (-6) which was only behind two other players for the best final day score. Thornton finished with a tournament score of 207, placing him with the second lowest team score for the Dawgs.
"Dain and Andrew both had really great events individually. Â Very proud to see Dain finish in the Top 10 and for Andrew to shoot a final round 66, which is his best tournament round in his Saluki career."
Leon Heitz started the Tournament in style on Friday, posting a 67 score (-5) which placed him one shot out of the lead through the first 18 holes. Heitz had five birdies on the front nine with only one bogey, while posting two birdies on the back nine with one lone bogey to get him to 68. Heitz finished with a weekend score of 213 to place him third on the Saluki team.
Edouard Cereto with even par for his first and third round scores, while shooting three under par for his second round score of 69. He finished tied with Heitz in the 22nd individual slot on the leaderboard.Â
Hugo Archer saved his best performance for Sunday afternoon, shooting an even par to close out his scorecard for the weekend of 220. Carsen Silliman competed as an individual this weekend and he posted an even par 72 on his final day to finish with a score of 217.
The Salukis turn their attention to Hawaii to close out the fall portion of the schedule, as they will compete in the Kapolei Invitational.
"We have a short week this week so we have to shift our focus toward Hawaii now. Â I expect that we will need more pretty low numbers in Hawaii to be competitive so I am excited that we were able to compete in those types of conditions this week to prepare for next week."
For more coverage of the 2023 White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational, follow @WhiteSandsBah on social media and use the following hashtags: #WhiteSandsBahamas and #WhiteSandsNCAA or visit WhiteSandsBahamas.com
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Results following the final round of the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men's Invitational, played at the 7,099-yard, par 72 Ocean Club Golf Course at Paradise Island, Bahamas:
TEAM SCORINGÂ Â
1 Santa Clara 273 277 269 819 -45
2 North Texas 277 278 268 823 -41
3 St. Mary's (CA) 281 278 266 825 -39
4 Southern Illinois 280 282 277 839 -25
T5 North Alabama 281 277 286 844 -20
T5 Jacksonville State 279 294 271 844 -20
7 Georgia State 281 281 286 848 -16
8 Wofford College 286 289 283 858 -6
9 Wichita State 295 283 288 866 +2
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ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly-away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, and boating and thousands of miles of the earth's most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples, and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to see why "It's Better in The Bahamas."
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ABOUT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE
Atlantis Paradise Island's Ocean Club Golf Course offers a challenging and beautiful course for golfers desiring championship play. Masterfully conceived, the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretches over 7,100 yards on Atlantis' peninsula. The course has hosted iconic sporting events such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. For more information about Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and the Ocean Club please visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.
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 "This tournament was an amazing experience in many different ways," said SIU head coach Justin Fetcho. "The Bahamas and their partners really know how to put on a first class event.  I believe each of our guys will remember this unique tournament experience for the rest of their lives. This was an event where the scoring was really low so you had to throw your comfort zone out the window and just keep attacking every single hole.  I think for the most part our guys handled this challenge well."
Dain Richie posts back to back second and third round scores of 68 to finish in the top 10 of the individual leaderboard. Richie's second round was highlighted with the first eagle of the weekend for SIU on 602 par 5 on the second hole. His final round was spearheaded with seven birdies.
Andrew Thornton saved his best round for the final day of action on Sunday, posting a 66 (-6) which was only behind two other players for the best final day score. Thornton finished with a tournament score of 207, placing him with the second lowest team score for the Dawgs.
"Dain and Andrew both had really great events individually. Â Very proud to see Dain finish in the Top 10 and for Andrew to shoot a final round 66, which is his best tournament round in his Saluki career."
Leon Heitz started the Tournament in style on Friday, posting a 67 score (-5) which placed him one shot out of the lead through the first 18 holes. Heitz had five birdies on the front nine with only one bogey, while posting two birdies on the back nine with one lone bogey to get him to 68. Heitz finished with a weekend score of 213 to place him third on the Saluki team.
Edouard Cereto with even par for his first and third round scores, while shooting three under par for his second round score of 69. He finished tied with Heitz in the 22nd individual slot on the leaderboard.Â
Hugo Archer saved his best performance for Sunday afternoon, shooting an even par to close out his scorecard for the weekend of 220. Carsen Silliman competed as an individual this weekend and he posted an even par 72 on his final day to finish with a score of 217.
The Salukis turn their attention to Hawaii to close out the fall portion of the schedule, as they will compete in the Kapolei Invitational.
"We have a short week this week so we have to shift our focus toward Hawaii now. Â I expect that we will need more pretty low numbers in Hawaii to be competitive so I am excited that we were able to compete in those types of conditions this week to prepare for next week."
For more coverage of the 2023 White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational, follow @WhiteSandsBah on social media and use the following hashtags: #WhiteSandsBahamas and #WhiteSandsNCAA or visit WhiteSandsBahamas.com
Â
Results following the final round of the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men's Invitational, played at the 7,099-yard, par 72 Ocean Club Golf Course at Paradise Island, Bahamas:
TEAM SCORINGÂ Â
1 Santa Clara 273 277 269 819 -45
2 North Texas 277 278 268 823 -41
3 St. Mary's (CA) 281 278 266 825 -39
4 Southern Illinois 280 282 277 839 -25
T5 North Alabama 281 277 286 844 -20
T5 Jacksonville State 279 294 271 844 -20
7 Georgia State 281 281 286 848 -16
8 Wofford College 286 289 283 858 -6
9 Wichita State 295 283 288 866 +2
Â
ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly-away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, and boating and thousands of miles of the earth's most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples, and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to see why "It's Better in The Bahamas."
Â
ABOUT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE
Atlantis Paradise Island's Ocean Club Golf Course offers a challenging and beautiful course for golfers desiring championship play. Masterfully conceived, the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretches over 7,100 yards on Atlantis' peninsula. The course has hosted iconic sporting events such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. For more information about Atlantis Paradise Island Resort and the Ocean Club please visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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