“On the front nine, we went through some holes that were playing tough, and we played them well. I felt we were in a really good spot going into the back nine, and we made some big numbers — something we’ve been battling all year,” fourth-year coach Conner Lash said.
“We play 16 or 17 good holes and then play one or two bad holes and give everything right back.”
Shane Ochs had a 1-over 72 at the Illini’s 7,533-yard Atkins Golf Club and is tied for 31st, and Adam Horn, despite a quintuple-bogey 8 on the 505-yard par-4 11th, had a 74.
Andrew Flynn shot 76, Timmy Hollenbeck 77 and Brock Rumpke 78.
The top four scores counted toward the Raiders’ team score of 15-over 311. They were even par on the front nine and 15-over on the back.
The field average score was 72.93.
“It’s definitely disappointing. The guys had a good attitude. They fought. We felt like the course and conditions and where we were — everything lined up to have a good week,” Lash said.
“We still have two more rounds. The goal is to mix it up with some really good teams and prove to ourselves and everyone else we can do it.”
Illinois shot a 7-under 289 on their home course to lead the way. Jackson Buchanan, who is 15th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, was low man with an 8-under 63.
Texas Tech (5-under), UNLV (3-under) and Troy (1-under) also broke par.
The top five finishers advance to the 30-team national tournament.
The Raiders are four shots behind 12th-place Houston, which is ranked 38th nationally, and seven behind 11th-place North Carolina, which is ranked 10th.
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