Pair of first-year’s propels men’s golf to first-place finish

By Farah Bassyouni Apr14,2023

Bloomington, Ill. – The Illinois Wesleyan men’s golf team garnered their fifth tournament win as they closed out the IWU Invitational on Saturday, April 8, at Weibring Golf Club. 

A three-stroke margin saw the Titans take home the team title finishing the weekend with a two-round total of 587. The title adds to the trophy cabinet for the Titans as they win their fourth tournament of the year. 

First-year  Juney Bai led the Titans with a combined score of 145. Bai finished fourth overall as he shot a 68 in his first round, the lowest by a Titan on the weekend. 

Bai’s performance garnered him a CCIW Men’s Golfer of the Week being the first IWU freshman to do so since 2018. 

“It’s nice to see that I’m able to compete with the upperclassmen as a freshman,” Bai said. “I’m playing for my team every time out there and that gives me some motivation to not only play well for myself but also for the group as a whole.”

Fellow first-year Jackson Husley tied for an 11th place finish with a 147 combined score. 

These performances by the freshman come after placing first and second respectively at the Garn Championship in Nicholasville, KY. 

“Every win boosts the team’s confidence and it’s great to see everyone playing so well at the same time,” Bai said. “Having all these wins makes us more confident for nationals next month because we know we can compete with the best teams.” 

The Titans tee off in Decatur, Ill for the Millikin Invitational on Friday, April 21 for a two-day tournament. 

Shortly after the Titans will travel up north to Yorkville, Ill for the CCIW Championship on May 4-6. 

“All of us are working hard for the last stretch of the season. We all have a goal of winning nationals next month and we plan on getting more wins before then.” Bai said. 

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