IC's Jarrett James Earns Top-5 Medalist At Millikin University Tournament

DECATUR, Ill. - The Illinois College men's golf team participated in the two-day 2024 Take Back the Night Challenge tournament hosted by Millikin University on Saturday and Sunday at Red Tail Run and South Side Country Club golf courses. The Blueboys entered two teams in this tournament that included 10 student-athletes. 

IC's Jarrett James earned a fifth-overall individual finish with a tournament score of 143 that included a one-under par 71 in the opening round and a one-over par 72 on the final day. With this top-5 finish, James has earned a top-5 finish in three consecutive tournaments. 

Day 1: Red Tail Run Golf Course

IC Team 1 Recap:

The Blueboys opened the tournament at Red Tail Run Golf Course on Saturday with all 10 student-athletes starting on the front nine holes. Leading the way for IC for the opening round was James with an one-under par score of 71. James started his opening round on the eighth hole where he was even-par through the first nine hole that included a birdie on hole 15. On the final nine holes, James recorded a one-under score of 35 that included birdies on holes four and seven and a bogey on hole six. 

In this team, Cole Bartels and Samuel Frericks each turned in scorecards with identical seven-over par 79 round scores. The duo each tallied 10 pars, six bogeys, a double-bogey, and a birdie in their opening round.  

The senior from Hillsboro, Illinois in Dane Huber opened his tournament with a 10-over par score of 82. In his round, Huber started on hole 10 and recorded a four-over score of 40 on first nine hole that included a birdie on hole 16. On the final nine holes, Huber tallied five pars. For the round, Huber collected eight pars, seven bogeys, two double bogeys, and a birdie on hole 16. 

Rounding out this team for the opening round was Peter Hauser as he recorded a 13-over par score of 85. In his round, Hauser constructed nine pars, four bogeys, three double bogeys, and a birdie on hole 18.

As a team of five, IC tallied 50 pars, 25 bogeys, and 7 birdies and a opening team score of 311. 

IC Team 2 Recap:

The second group of five Blueboys was led by Tobin Nell with an opening round five-over par score of 77. Nell started this tournament on hole 16 and recorded a two-over score of 38 that include five pars, three bogeys, and a birdie on hole one. Nell stay locked in and recorded a back nine score of 39 included five pars and a birdie on the par-5 seventh hole.

Two-strokes behind Nell finished Andrew McKillip with a seven-over par score of 79. McKillip started his round on hole 17 where he shot six-over par on the first nine holes. McKillip turned his round around on the final nine holes as he recorded eight consecutive pars and a bogey on hole 16. 

The Port Byron native in Ashton Sutton opened his two-day tournament with an 10-over par score of 82 as he started on hole 18. In his round, Sutton collected 10 pars, five bogeys, and a birdie on hole 16. 

Rounding out the day one team score of 323 was Caden Tinsley and Dylan Clark with scores of 85 and 86 respectively. Tinsley started his round on 15 where he fired a five-over 41 on the first nine holes that included all four pars and a birdie on hole one. Tinsley added another birdie to his round on the par-5 seventh hole by draining the birdie putt. For his round, Tinsley recorded a 13-over par for a score of 85 that included four pars, 10 bogeys, two birdies, 1 double bogey, and a triple bogey. 

The sophomore from Addieville, Illinois in Clark fired a 14-over par score of 86 that included six pars, eight bogeys, two double bogeys, a triple bogey, and a birdie on hole 10.

As a team, this group recorded 44 pars, 31 bogeys, six birdies and a team score of 323. 

Day 2: South Side Country Club

IC Team 1 Recap:

All 10 IC student-athletes started the final day at South Side Country Club on the back nine on hole number 10. The first team of Blueboys was paced by James with a one-over par score of 72. James started his final round with three consecutives pars on holes 10,11,12 which was followed up with a birdie on hole 13. Three holes later, on the par-4 16th hole, James added another birdie as he sank the birdie putt. On the final nine holes, James tallied eight straight pars and a bogey on hole 9. For the round, James collected 13 pars, three bogeys, and two birdies. 

One-stroke behind James finished Hauser with a final round score that was a two-over par score of 73. Hauser opened the second round with a even-par first nine holes that included five pars, two birdies and two bogeys as the birdies were on holes 11 and 15 and the bogeys were on holes 14 and 18. Hauser made the turn and fired a two-over 38 that included three bogeys and a birdie on hole five. For the round, Hauser tallied 10 pars, five bogeys, and three birdies. For the tournament, Hauser recorded a score of 158.

The person that nearly went shot-for-shot with Hauser was Huber as he recorded a four-over par score of 75 for his final round. Huber opened the final day with a three-over 39 on the first nine holes that included a birdie on the par-5 15th hole. Huber stay locked in as he fired a one-over 37 throught the final nine holes that featured three bogeys and two birdies on holes three and nine. For the round, Huber recorded 10 pars, three bogeys, three birdies, and two double-bogeys. With the combination of his opening round score of 82 and a 75 from day two, Huber fired a tournament score of 157.

The Katy, Texas native in Bartels had a solid round on day two as recorded a nine-over par score of 80. Bartels opened the first nine holes six-over par before finishing the final nine holes three-over par. In his round, Bartels tallied 10 pars, five bogeys, and a birdie which was on hole two. By adding his opening round of 79 and the final round of 80, Bartels constructed a tournament score of 159.

Rounding out the day two team score of 300 was Frericks with a 13-over par score of 84. Frericks recorded seven pars, nine bogeys, and two double-bogeys. With the addition of his opening round of 79, Frericks generated a tournament score of 163.

As a team, this group improved 11-strokes from day one with a team score of 300. 

IC Team 2 Recap:

The second team of Blueboys was led by Nell with a seven-over par score of 78 that included 11 pars and seven bogeys. On the final nine holes, Nell recorded a two-over par score of 38 with bogeys on holes four and nine. With the addition of his opening round of 77, Nell finished the tournament with a score of 155.

Two-shots behind Tobin finished Clark with a nine-over par score of 80 that featured eight pars, five bogeys, three double-bogeys, and two birdies. On the final nine holes, Clark recorded a two-over 38 score that included two birdies on holes three and five. For the tournament, Clark created a tournament score of 166. 

The Mount Vernon native in Tinsley recorded a 10-over par score of 81 for his final round that included seven pars, six bogeys, three double-bogeys and two birdies. On the final nine holes, Tinsley earned his two birdied on holes one and eight. By adding his opening round of 85, Tinsley recorded a tournament score of 166. 

Rounding out the field for IC was Sutton and McKillip with final round scores of 83 and 87 respectively. Sutton recorded his round of 83 by firing four pars, seven bogeys, four double-bogeys, and three birdies which were on holes nine, 15, and 17. With the addition of Sutton's opening round of 82, Sutton tallied a tournament score of 165. 

The senior in McKillip recorded a final round of 87 that included seven pars and seven bogeys. On the final nine holes, McKillip fired a five-over score of 41 that included five pars. With the combination of his opening round of 79, McKillip generated a tournament score of 166. 

As a collective team of five, these student-athletes improved one-stroke from day by constructing a team score of 322.

The Blueboys will have a week of preparation before traveling to Metamora Fields Golf Course for the 2024 SLIAC Championships starting on Sunday, April 28 at 10:00 AM in Metamora, Illinois.