Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Monday, April 20
Iowa City, IA
Southern Illinois University
at
Hawkeye Invitational
Anthony De Schutter shot even at the Hawkeye invite.
Photo by: Saluki Athletic Communications
Salukis finish second at Hawkeye, Turn Focus to Championship
04/21/2026 | 7:48:00 | Men's Golf
RIVERSIDE, Iowa — Southern Illinois men's golf delivered one of its strongest performances of the season, finishing second at the Hawkeye Invitational at 7-under par in their final tune-up before next week's MVC Championship.
The Salukis put themselves firmly in contention down the stretch, entering the final nine holes with a legitimate chance to take the title before ultimately settling for a runner-up finish. Still, the performance marked a major step forward for a team peaking at the right time.
"It was a solid week for us," Director of Golf Justin Fetcho said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win with 9 holes to go and unfortunately it didn't work in our favor this time. We will try and learn and grow from this experience and make ourselves better. It's disappointing to not win but we made some great strides this week."
Southern Illinois showcased impressive depth throughout the tournament, placing four golfers inside the top 13 individually. Leading the way was Ben Keil, who turned in a standout performance at 6-under par, (his lowest of the season) highlighted by a composed and confident approach all tournament.
Director Fetcho was impressed with the all-around team performance.
"It was a total team effort this week. We had 4 guys finish in the Top 13 on the individual leaderboard. Ben played some amazing golf this week and really took a big step forward with his mentality and self-talk. That's something we challenged him on and he responded very well this week. Very proud of his demeanor and attitude this week."
Anthony De Schutter continued his season-long consistency with an even-par showing, while Jaeseung Na and Blake Saffell each contributed strong finishes at +1, helping anchor the team score. De Schutter finished eighth overall, and Na finished tied with Saffell at 13th overall. Frank Bellino also had a strong showing, finishing 28th and 7 over par. Lucas Lasley was also impressive at 38th overall and 9 over par. Beyond individual finishes, the Salukis excelled in key statistical categories that reflect disciplined, winning golf. They led the entire field in pars and ranked second in bogey avoidance, two areas that have been focal points for the program.
"Anthony with another solid week just as he has been doing for us all year long. Jae and Blake with some good weeks too," Fetcho said. "We've been looking to be more consistent across the board and this week we made a big step in the right direction. We led the field in pars and were second in bogey avoidance this week which are two big focal points for us so very proud of the entire group."
With momentum building, Southern Illinois now turns its attention to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, where the stakes will be even higher.
"We have work to do to get ready for next week. We all have little things we have to work on the next couple of days to come out and be ready to go for the MVC Championship. Big momentum for us this week but still work to do and we are excited to get to work."
UP NEXT
The MVC Championship will be played April 26-28, at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois.
The Salukis put themselves firmly in contention down the stretch, entering the final nine holes with a legitimate chance to take the title before ultimately settling for a runner-up finish. Still, the performance marked a major step forward for a team peaking at the right time.
"It was a solid week for us," Director of Golf Justin Fetcho said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win with 9 holes to go and unfortunately it didn't work in our favor this time. We will try and learn and grow from this experience and make ourselves better. It's disappointing to not win but we made some great strides this week."
Southern Illinois showcased impressive depth throughout the tournament, placing four golfers inside the top 13 individually. Leading the way was Ben Keil, who turned in a standout performance at 6-under par, (his lowest of the season) highlighted by a composed and confident approach all tournament.
Director Fetcho was impressed with the all-around team performance.
"It was a total team effort this week. We had 4 guys finish in the Top 13 on the individual leaderboard. Ben played some amazing golf this week and really took a big step forward with his mentality and self-talk. That's something we challenged him on and he responded very well this week. Very proud of his demeanor and attitude this week."
Anthony De Schutter continued his season-long consistency with an even-par showing, while Jaeseung Na and Blake Saffell each contributed strong finishes at +1, helping anchor the team score. De Schutter finished eighth overall, and Na finished tied with Saffell at 13th overall. Frank Bellino also had a strong showing, finishing 28th and 7 over par. Lucas Lasley was also impressive at 38th overall and 9 over par. Beyond individual finishes, the Salukis excelled in key statistical categories that reflect disciplined, winning golf. They led the entire field in pars and ranked second in bogey avoidance, two areas that have been focal points for the program.
"Anthony with another solid week just as he has been doing for us all year long. Jae and Blake with some good weeks too," Fetcho said. "We've been looking to be more consistent across the board and this week we made a big step in the right direction. We led the field in pars and were second in bogey avoidance this week which are two big focal points for us so very proud of the entire group."
With momentum building, Southern Illinois now turns its attention to the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, where the stakes will be even higher.
"We have work to do to get ready for next week. We all have little things we have to work on the next couple of days to come out and be ready to go for the MVC Championship. Big momentum for us this week but still work to do and we are excited to get to work."
UP NEXT
The MVC Championship will be played April 26-28, at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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