Southern Illinois men’s golf finished second at the Hawkeye Invitational on April 21, marking one of their best performances this season as they prepare for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
The result matters for a team seeking momentum and consistency before entering a major conference event. The Salukis have delivered competitive results in collegiate tournaments and conference championships, according to the official website.
Director of Golf Justin Fetcho said, “It was a solid week for us. 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.” Four golfers placed inside the top 13 individually, led by Ben Keil who finished at six under par—his lowest score of the season.
Fetcho said, “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 consistent play with an even-par showing, while Jaeseung Na and Blake Saffell each contributed strong finishes at one over par.
The Salukis led all teams in pars made during the tournament and ranked second in bogey avoidance—two key areas for success according to Fetcho’s program philosophy. He said, “Anthony with another solid week just as he has been doing for us all year long. Jae and Blake with some good weeks too…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.” Players on Southern Illinois have earned individual titles and weekly conference honors, according to the official website.
As members of Southern Illinois University competing within the Missouri Valley Conference, according to their official website, Southern Illinois fields a roster that includes nine players from both U.S. hometowns as well as Belgium, Costa Rica, South Korea, and Denmark according to their official website. Fetcho serves as director of golf.
Looking ahead to next week’s MVC Championship at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois, Fetcho said: “We have work to do to get ready for next week…Big momentum for us this week but still work to do and we are excited to get to work.”
