The Illinois Wesleyan men’s golf team started the spring season off strong with a pair of Top-20 finishes and multiple career-highs at the Jekyll Island Collegiate tournament in Jekyll Island, Ga. from March 18-20.
Senior Carl Christiansen and junior Ethan Wilkins finished the three-day tournament with Top-20 ranks, settling in at 12th and 20th, respectively.
Christiansen set the pace for the Titans as early as the first round of competition. He tied for fifth place individually with a team-low 69 at three-under par. Christiansen kept his momentum up as he headed into the second day of play, carding an at-par 69 and a three-over 72.
He also led the Titans in the third round, brandishing the team-high score of one-under 71 and a tie for 12th individually.
Christiansen’s impressive three-round total of 212 caught the attention of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin this week. For the first time in his collegiate career, the CCIW named Christiansen the CCIW Golfer of the Week.
Wilkins swung a three-over 75 in the first round of play, landing him in 83rd overall. But, he got his groove back in the second round of play.
His record-breaking 66-point second round held him at six-under and bumped him into the Top-15 of the day. Wilkin’s career-high moves in the second round put him neck-and-neck with Christiansen, allowing the two Titans to share 14th place.
Wilkins ended with the second-highest individual placement by the end of the tournament, wrapping up the final day with a three-round total of 214 and a 20th place rank.
Junior Bobby Beaubin and senior Will Nummy also showed up on the green for the Titans, pulling out three-day totals of 222 and 223 respectively. Beaubin ended his three days of competition with a tie for 63rd and Nummy followed close behind in 72nd.
Senior Jimmy Morton closed out the Titan’s top-five in 80th place overall and a final score of 225.
The IWU men’s golf team now stands in ninth place overall as they prepare to host the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational at the Ironwood Golf Course in Normal, Il. from Friday-Saturday, April 1-2.