Salukis Open With Historic First Round Finish, Ninth at Hal Williams Collegiate

Monday, February 16

Mobile, AL

Southern Illinois University

Hal Williams Collegiate

Salukis Open With Historic First Round Finish, Ninth at Hal Williams Collegiate

02/17/2026 | 11:23:00 | Men's Golf

By: DANTE GREEN

MOBILE, AL— The Saluki men's golf team closed out play Tuesday at the Hal Williams Collegiate with a strong third-round performance after two days of competition, February 16–17.

Southern Illinois opened the tournament with one of the best rounds in program history. The Salukis fired a 10-under 270in Monday's first round — the second-lowest team score in program history. The round tied them with No. 13-ranked Illinois atop the leader board and was surpassed only by the Salukis record-setting performance in Colorado in 2025.

Illinois ultimately went on to win the tournament, but the Salukis proved they could compete with one of the nation's top programs.

Round two proved more challenging, as SIU carded a 291.

The Salukis responded Tuesday with a composed and steady effort, shooting 1-under 278 in the third round to finish ninth overall.

Anthony de Schutter led the way for Southern Illinois throughout the tournament. He finished 20th overall at 2-under par, providing consistency across all three rounds.

Southern Illinois' round-by-round scores:

Round 1: 270 (-10)
Round 2: 291
Round 3: 278 (-1)

The strong opening round highlighted the team's potential, while the final round showed resilience as the Salukis battled back to close the event on a positive note.

Below are players and their performances:

Jaeseung Na — (+5), 52nd

Ben Keil — (+2), tied for 35th

Blake Safell — (+2), tied for 35th

Anthony De Schutter — (-2), 20th

Frank Bellino — (+3), 39th

UP NEXT

The Louisiana Classic March 9th.

For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on X (@SIU_MGolf), Facebook (@Saluki Men's Golf) and Instagram (@siu_mgolf).