IWU golfers win second consecutive CCIW title

PONTIAC -- Illinois Wesleyan sloshed through heavy rain to win its second straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin men's golf tournament Saturday (April 27) at the Pontiac (Ill.) Elks Country Club.
The Titans finished with a 615 total, beating runner-up Augustana by seven strokes. Millikin was third at 626.
The final nine holes were played Saturday morning after the teams played 27 holes Friday. The Titans entered the last nine with a five-stroke lead.
Thanks to an even-par 36 by sophomore Bryan Noonan (Champaign, Centennial HS) and 38 by freshman Eric Hellman (Bloomington, Normal West HS) on the back nine, IWU preserved its advantage.
"Last year there was no pressure or expectations. This year we probably felt the heat a little more," said IWU coach Jim Ott (pictured at right). "We've played Augustana in four tournaments and had not beaten them. They're one of the top 25 (Division III) teams in the country. They have five seniors, and we have three sophomores and two freshmen. That's pretty gratifying."
It is the seventh CCIW men's golf title since the league began in 1947. In addition to last season, the Titans won the conference in 1959, 1960, 1968, 1970, and 1977.
The combination of cold, rain and wind made it "treacherous," according to Ott. "The last nine holes came down to who was mentally tough. We stay focused and mentally tough and didn't let the conditions bother us too much."
Augustana's Scott Peterson earned medalist honors. He beat Millikin's Nic Bunning in a playoff after both finished at 149.
Hellman shot a second-round 76 for a 150 total, beating sophomore teammate Billy Smith (Champaign, Central HS) (78-150) in a scorecard playoff for third place.
Noonan finished fifth (76-152). He chipped in on No. 18 for a birdie. "That was pretty incredible," said Ott of Noonan's even-par effort under adverse conditions. "I'm sure he and Eric had the two best nines of the day."
Chad Golembeck (Petersburg, Porta HS), last year's CCIW medalist, and freshman Eric Danielson (Channahon, Minooka HS) carded identical 80-83-163 scores to tie for 22nd place.