The Southern Illinois men’s golf team closed out the 2021-22 postseason in 13th place at the NCAA Columbus Regional, which finished Wednesday with 18 holes at the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio. The Salukis finished the three-day, 54 hole tournament with a final score of 909 (+57).
Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech tied for the title with a 54 hole score of 842 (-10). Ohio State (+4) placed third, Arkansas (+7) took fourth, and East Tennessee State (+10) finished in fifth place to round out the field advancing the the 2022 DI Men’s Golf Championship. This year’s championship will be played in Scottsdale, Arizona from May 27 to June 1 at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
Matthis Besard, the 2022 MVC Golfer of the Year, led the Salukis throughout the tournament and fired 69 with six birdies in the final round to finish at five-over par, tied for 37th place. Braden Hoisington carded 72 on the last day to finish with a mark of 227 (+14), tied for 70th overall. Birgir Magnusson took 72nd place, shooting rounds of 76, 76, and 77 for a score of 229 (+16). Tom Cleaton finished in 74th with a score of 236 (+23). In a true act of sportsmanship, Markus Wilhelmsen set down the clubs so fellow teammate Justin Wingerter could gain experience at an NCAA Regional. Wingerter, playing as a substitute, shot 78 on the day to finish seven-over par.
The NCAA Columbus Regional concludes the season for Southern Illinois. The Salukis finished in the Top-5 in eight of their 11 tournaments this year, including a first place finish at the MVC Championship. Matthis Besard was named the 2022 MVC Golfer of the Year, the second player in program history to earn the honor, and was voted onto the All-Conference team for the third time in his collegiate career. Besard’s seven tournament wins are the most at SIU, he is the all-time leader in career rounds in the 60s, and he has the all-time low 54-hole score, 200 (-16).
Tom Cleaton earned MVC All-Conference honors and was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team along with Markus Wilhelmsen. Justin Wingerter was also named MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention. Director of Golf Danielle Kaufman was voted the 2022 MVC Coach of the Year by the league coaches, the first woman in MVC men’s golf history to earn the honor and third coach from SIU. Kaufman is a two-time winner of the award, her first was with the women’s golf team in 2019.
Teams
T1 Oklahoma State 280 281 281 = 842 (-10)
T1 Georgia Tech 290 271 281 = 842 (-10)
3 Ohio State 290 284 282 = 856 (+4)
4 Arkansas 292 286 281 = 859 (+7)
5 East Tennessee St. 286 290 286 = 862 (+10)
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T6 San Francisco 288 290 288 = 866 (+14)
T6 Clemson 289 286 291 = 866 (+14)
8 Duke 290 289 288 = 867 (+15)
T9 Kentucky 294 291 283 = 868 (+16)
T9 Wright State 297 287 284 = 868 (+16)
11 Northwestern 295 289 288 = 872 (+20)
12 Florida Gulf Coast 298 294 282 = 874 (+22)
13 Southern Illinois 307 307 295 = 909 (+57)
Southern Illinois
T37 Matthis Besard 74 75 69 = 218 (+5)
T70 Braden Hoisington 77 78 72 = 227 (+14)
72 Birgir Magnusson 76 76 77 = 229 (+16)
74 Tom Cleaton 81 78 77 = 236 (+23)
S Justin Wingerter 78 = 78 (+7)
S Markus Wilhelmsen 80 81 S