Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Highlands Invitational
Salukis Tie for 11th at Highlands Invitational
09/22/2026 | 7:20:00 | Men's Golf
WESTCHESTER, Ill. — Southern Illinois men's golf completed play at the Highlands Invitational on Tuesday, finishing tied for 11th in the team standings.
The Salukis finished the three-round tournament at 39-over par after rounds of 16-over, 9-over and 14-over. East Tennessee State won the tournament at 21-under par, while Wake Forest finished second at 20-under.
Head coach Justin Fetcho said the course presented a difficult challenge from tee to green, with demanding greens and windy conditions adding to the test.
"It was a tough week for us this week," Fetcho said. "We saw a demanding golf course from tee to green and some challenging undulation on the greens. The winds kicked up a bit as well to add to everything. We just didn't handle it well enough." Fetcho also pointed to unforced errors and decision-making as areas the team needs to improve moving forward.
"We had way too many unforced errors on the course to compete at a high level," Fetcho said. "Our maturity in decision making has got to improve. We are still a younger group that is figuring things out and we went through some growing pains this week."
Despite the result, Fetcho said the focus now is on learning from the experience and making improvements before the next event. "While we are disappointed in the results, the best thing that can happen is that we learn and grow from this experience to get better for the next one," Fetcho said.
Oliver Ulrich led Southern Illinois individually, finishing tied for 15th at 2-over par with rounds of 2-under, 1-over and 3-over.
Fetcho praised Ulrich's consistency and leadership through the first two events of the season. "This was another solid week for Oliver Ulrich," Fetcho said. "He finished Top 15 and has really shown his senior leadership to this team in the first two events. He's played very consistent golf to start the year."
Jamen Sanders finished tied for 52nd at 10-over par, while Emil Elkjaer Petersen finished tied for 58th at 12-over. River Stilley finished 67th at 17-over, and Michael Mikus finished 69th at 20-over.
NEXT UP
The Salukis return to action at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, Sept. 27-29.
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