Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf

Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf
University University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Conference Big Ten
Location Urbana, Illinois
Head coach
Course Stone Creek Golf Club
Par: 72
Yards: 7,118
Nickname Illinois Fighting Illini
Colors Orange and Blue[1]
         
NCAA Individual Champions
Scott Langley (2010)
Thomas Pieters (2012)
NCAA Team Appearance
1931, 1940, 1941, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Conference Champions
1923, 1927, 1930, 1931, 1940, 1941, 1988, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
Individual Conference Champions
R.E. Rolfe (1923)
Richard Martin(1930, 1931)
Alex Welsh (1941)
James McCarthy (1942)
Mike Toluiuszis (1962)
Mike Chadwick (1982)
Steve Stricker (1986, 1988, 1989)
Jamie Fairbanks (1993)
Larry Nuger (1999)
Luke Guthrie (2011, 2012)
Thomas Pieters (2013)
Nick Hardy (2015)

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf team represents the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the sport of golf. The Fighting Illini compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big Ten Conference (Big Ten). They play their home matches on the Stone Creek Golf Club five miles from the university's campus, and are currently led by head coach Mike Small. The Fighting Illini men's golf program has won 13 Big Ten championships and in 2013 finished as national runner-up at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, which was the highest finish in the program's history. 2014 was the third time in the past four years the program had qualified for the match play portion of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in which the final eight teams compete in a bracket format.[2]

Individual honors

All-Americans

  • Joe Burden – 1972 (HM)
  • Marty Schiene – 1979 (HM)
  • Mike Chadwick – 1983 (HM)
  • Steve Stricker – 1987 (HM), 1988 (1st), 1989 (1st)
  • D. A. Points – 1999 (3rd)
  • James Lepp – 2002 (HM), 2003 (2nd)
  • Patrick Nagle – 2003 (3rd)
  • Scott Langley – 2009 (2nd), 2010 (1st), 2011 (HM)
  • Chris DeForest – 2011 (HM)
  • Luke Guthrie – 2011 (1st), 2012 (2nd)
  • Thomas Pieters – 2012 (1st), 2013 (HM)
  • Charlie Danielson – 2013 (HM), 2014 (HM)
  • Thomas Detry – 2014 (HM)
  • Brian Campbell – 2014 (2nd)

Note: 1st = first team, 2nd = second team, 3rd = third team, HM = honorable mention

Other

Two Illini have won the individual NCAA national title: Luke Guthrie (2010), and Thomas Pieters (2012). Since 1923, twelve Fighting Illini golfers have won fifteen Big Ten individual titles.[3] Thirty Fighting Illini golfers have earned fifty-two All-Big Ten honors.

Coaching staff

Mike Small is the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf team, and 2014–15 will be his fifteenth season with the Fighting Illini.[4] He is a six-time Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, and is also a six-time NCAA Regional Coach of the Year as named by the Golf Coaches Association of America. As a professional, Small is a record-setting three time PGA Professional National Champion and has won the Illinois PGA Championship a record-setting eleven times.[5] Former Fighting Illini men's golfer Zach Barlow was hired at the start of the 2014–15 season as the new assistant coach.[6] Barlow was a member of the Fighting Illini's 2009 and 2010 Big Ten Championship teams and spent a year playing professionally on both the NGA Pro Golf Tour and the eGolf Professional Tour.

Current roster

Name Year High school Hometown
Alex Burge Senior Bloomington High School Bloomington, Illinois
Charlie Danielson Senior Osceola High School Osceola, Wisconsin
Thomas Detry Senior Hanelt Brussels, Belgium
Trevor Gold Freshman Eureka High School Eureka, Illinois
Nick Hardy Sophomore Glenbrook North High School Northbrook, Illinois
Edoardo Lipparelli Freshman Wellington College Ronciglione, Italy
Dylan Meyer Sophomore Evansville Central High School Evansville, Indiana

Updated: May 31, 2016[7]

Facilities

Demirjian Indoor Golf Practice Facility

Opened in 2007, the university's $5.2 million, 14,150-square-foot Demirjian Indoor Golf Practice Facility features a 6,300-square-foot putting, chipping, and pitching area that includes sand bunkers and different strains of artificial grass, six heated hitting bays which open onto the range, team locker rooms, coaches offices and a team lounge.[8][9] Prior to the completion of the Demirjian Indoor Golf Practice Facility, indoor practice's were typically held in the basement of Huff Hall on an old handball court.[10] In 2008, the facility received an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects Illinois Chapter in the Architecture Design Award Category.[11]

Lauritsen/Wohlers Outdoor Golf Practice Facility

Construction on the $2 million, 24 acre facility began during the summer of 2014, with a completion date in fall of 2014. Taking inspiration from the Augusta National Golf Club practice facility, the Lauritsen/Wohlers Outdoor Golf Practice Facility was designed by Fighting Illini head coach Mike Small, former Fighting Illini and PGA Tour professional Steve Stricker, and golf course architect Jeff Brauer. Training center with target fairways, target greens, fairway and greenside bunkers, putting greens, chipping greens and a wedge area[12] The outdoor facility is located directly adjacent to the Demirjian Indoor Practice Building.[13]

Stone Creek Golf Club

The Fighting Illini men's golf team host its home matches at the Stone Creek Golf Club, located in Urbana, Illinois 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of the university's campus.[14] The university course was originally designed by noted golf course architect Dick Nugent and his son Tim in 1999. The course is a 7,118-yard par 72, and the facilities include a practice and teaching center for the surrounding community. The Stone Creek Golf Club has hosted several Big Ten Conference men's and women's golf championships.

References

  1. ↑ "Illinois Athletics Unveils Updated Brand Identity". Fightingillini.com. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Illini Advance to NCAA Match Play for Third Time in 4 Years". University of Illinois DIA. May 26, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ "2014-2015 Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Golf Record Book" (PDF). Illinois DIA. 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mike Small Profile". Illinois DIA. 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  5. ↑ Ziehm, Len (October 1, 2014). "Will Elgin's Sainz defend Chicago Open title?". Chicago Daily Herald. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Barlow Named Assistant Golf Coach At Illinois". WSIL. August 14, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  7. ↑ http://www.fightingillini.com/roster.aspx?path=mgolf
  8. ↑ Newport, John Paul (November 29, 2013). "How Snowbelt Schools Lure Top Golf Prospects Their Message: Bad weather Is Good for Your Game". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  9. ↑ Herrington, Ryan (December 28, 2009). "Northern Exposure". Golf Digest. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  10. ↑ Huth, Jeff (May 6, 2007). "New Demirjian facility gives program upper hand in recruiting". The News-Gazette. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  11. ↑ "American Institute of Architects, Central Illinois Chapter Honors 2008 Design Award Winners". American Institute of Architects. 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  12. ↑ "UI Announces Lauritsen/Wohlers Outdoor Golf Practice Facility". University of Illinois DIA. June 11, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Illini golf facility to be "tour standard"". Nexstar Broadcasting Group. June 30, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Facilities". University of Illinois DIA. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
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