By ISU Sports Information
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Illinois State men’s golf standout Trent Wallace is heading to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship.
The sophomore survived the final round of the NCAA West Lafayette Regional Wednesday, battling 30 mile per hour winds, to shoot a 79 (37-42) and finish with a 1-over-par 217 (68-70-79) at the par-72, 7,411-yard Kampen Course on the campus of Purdue. He produced the lowest score of all the student-athletes who were not part of the top-five teams, as those schools also advanced to the next round as well.
“Today was the toughest battle of golf I’ve ever been faced with,” Wallace said. “The wind at some points made shots a guessing game. The course calls for your best. I put myself in a great position going into today, and I felt as though I lost it after nine holes into the final round.”
Wallace, who was the leader after 36 holes with a 6-under-par 138 (68-70), finished seventh in the field comprising of 75 student-athletes. UNLV, Auburn, Illinois, New Mexico and Purdue all advanced as teams. Andrej Bevins of New Mexico, who is ranked No. 99 in the country, and Illinois’ Nick Hardy, who is ranked No. 27, shared medalist honors by finishing with 3-under-par 213s. Matt Gilchrest of Auburn and 60th-ranked Shintaro Ban of UNLV both finished in a third-place tie at 2-under-par, while the Runnin’ Rebels’ duo of No. 14 John Oda and No. 48 Harry Hall finished in fifth and sixth place with scores of 1-under-par and even par, respectively.
“What a gutsy performance by Trent (Wallace),” head coach Ray Kralis said. “The wind was howling today, with gusts around 30 (mph), which made all shots so difficult regardless of what direction you were going. The margin of error was so small, but we focused on committing to shots and accepting the results regardless of the outcomes.”
Playing in the final group, Wallace started his final round on the back nine. After starting the day out with a par on the 607-yard, par-5 10th, he bogeyed the par-4 11th. He regained a stroke two holes later when he birdied the par-3 13th. He then went on to make par on the par-4 14th.
Wallace faced major trouble for the first time in the tournament over the final four holes of the back nine. He bogeyed the par-4 15th and the par-5 16th, before double bogeying the par-3 17th and the par-4 18th, which dropped his score to even par. Wallace finished with a 42 on the back nine.
He played much better on the front nine, finishing with a 1-over-par 37. Wallace collected par on the first two holes but bogeyed the par-4 third. He then found his groove and made par on four of the next five holes and birdied the par-4 seventh to move back to even par. But Wallace bogeyed the par-4 ninth to end his round with a 79 (42-37) and the tournament with a 1-over-par 217 (68-70-79).
“Coach (Kralis) reminded me to stay patient and focused and hit shots,” Wallace said. “I made a good par save on one, which made things turnaround I felt. Making birdie on seven after a bad position off the tee set me to be able to get things done.”
“Trent faced some adversity finishing his opening nine, but he stayed patient and in the game, which showed his maturity,” Kralis said. “His mental toughness was key on the final nine, and he played some big-time shots down the stretch to get it done. I could not be more proud of how he handled himself and represented Illinois State.”
According to Mike Kern of the Missouri Valley Conference, Wallace is the second student-athlete in conference history to advance to the championship round in men’s golf as an individual. Wichita State’s Judd Easterling accomplished the feat in 2005.
“The opportunity to play in the National Championship is something I thought I’d only dream of,” Wallace said. “I excited and ready to prepare myself for the next test I know everyone is faced with at Rich Harvest Farms.”
The NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship will take place May 26-29 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.
