OLYMPIA FILEDS, Ill. - Stanford men's golf fired a 1-over 281 on Saturday, tied for the second-best team score in the 15-team field, to extend it's one-stroke lead to seven shots with 18 holes to play at the Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club. The Cardinal, at 9-under 551, tied the tournament record (Oklahoma State, 2018) for lowest 36-hole score.
All four of Stanford's scoring players over the first two days sit inside the Top 10, led by Karl Vilips who is tied for fourth.
Ethan Ng fired the Cardinal's best round of the day with a 1-under 69, but all four scoring players tallied between 69 and 71. Junior Michael Thorbjornsen shot an even-par 70, coming in with two birdies and four pars to overcome a 2-over start through 12. Barclay Brown and Vilips were both 1-over on the day, although Vilips rebounded nicely from a triple on the 10th hole, finishing his round with three birdies and five pars over the final eight holes to finish the day inside the top five.
Stanford continued its steady play on Saturday, and sits third (117) in the field in pars and second (31) in birdies through 36 holes. Through 36 holes, Vilips has nine birdies and 24 pars, while Ng and Brown each have seven birdies apiece. Thorbjornsen has a par (27) or birdie (6) on 33 of his 36 holes thus far.
The preseason No. 15 Cardinal looks to finish off its first tournament of the season with a win on Sunday. Stanford has one other win in its history at the event, taking home the trophy in 2011. To finish out the victory, the Cardinal will have to fend off No. 5 Arizona State (2nd, -2), No. 11 Illinois (3rd, -1) and a plethora of other Top 10 teams: No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Texas and No. 10 Pepperdine.
Fighting Illini Invitational (Olympia Fields Country Club, par 70)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 270 (-10) | 281 (+1) | -- | 551 (-9) |
| T4. Karl Vilips | 65 (-5) | 71 (+1) | -- | 136 (-4) |
| T6. Michael Thorbjornsen | 67 (-3) | 70 (E) | -- | 137 (-3) |
| T9. Barclay Brown | 68 (-2) | 71 (+1) | -- | 139 (-1) |
| T9. Ethan Ng | 70 (E) | 69 (-1) | -- | 139 (-1) |
| T75. Dean Greyserman | 77 (+7) | 80 (+10) | -- | 157 (+17) |