Carbondale Reporter

Anthony De Schutter secured a victory at the Wildcat Invitational in Manhattan, Kansas, becoming the 24th Southern Illinois men's golfer to win a tournament. His four-under par performance marked the first individual win for Southern Illinois since Edouard Cereto's title at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in 2024.

Head Coach Justin Fetcho highlighted De Schutter's approach during the week. "He said his goal this week before he started was to be the most disciplined he has ever been on a golf course, and I think he did an amazing job of staying patient, picking great targets and just allowing himself to play freely," Fetcho said. "To do all of those things is pretty special, but to top it off with a win is just icing on the cake."

De Schutter improved his position each round, finishing eighth, fifth, and fourth before taking first place overall. Fetcho noted that De Schutter's return for a fifth year was driven by his desire to improve and secure a collegiate event win. "I truly believe this is one of the reasons that Anthony decided to come back for his 5th year, he wanted to continue to develop and get better, but deep down he wanted to win a collegiate event," Fetcho said. "What a way to kick start the season, and I know this will just continue to give him more confidence when he finds himself in contention again."

Redshirt junior Ben Keil competed in his first collegiate event since transferring from the University of Indianapolis in 2024. He kept pace with De Schutter through two rounds before falling behind on day three. "Ben had a tough finish today to his round, and I know that left a very sour taste in his mouth," Fetcho said. "However, he did so many things well this week that there is so much to take away from his first collegiate event back in over a year."

Southern Illinois finished third as a team with an overall score of 871 (+7), which was also the highest among four other Missouri Valley Conference teams participating in the tournament. The Salukis were six strokes behind host Kansas State.

"To lose by 6 strokes to a good program on their home golf course is a testament to the talent we have on our roster," Fetcho said. "There are a lot of positives to take away from the week, but we also know that we have a lot of work to do to clean up some of the sloppiness to get ready for our next event."

The individual results for Southern Illinois were: Anthony De Schutter (1st, 212), Ben Keil (T-12th, 219), Jaeseung Na (T-33rd, 225), Blake Saffell (T-37th, 226), Cy Norman (T-39th, 227), and Michael Mikus competing individually (T-58th, 232).

Fetcho expressed optimism about using this result as momentum for upcoming events. "We have a great group of hard workers, and I know we will get back to work and start focusing on how to see improvements in our next event," Fetcho said. This event definitely provided some building blocks for us as we move forward."

The team's next competition will be at the Badger Invitational starting September 22 in Madison, Wisconsin.

For updates on Southern Illinois Men's Golf throughout the season follow their official accounts on X (@SIU_MGolf), Instagram (@SIU_MGolf) or Facebook (SalukiMGolf).