SUGAR GROVE — Mike Small regularly touts his team’s toughness and its ability to overcome adversity. But the Illinois men’s golf coach wouldn’t mind it if his guys took it easy on him every once in a while.
A day after flirting with the cut line in the final round of stroke play at the NCAA championships, the Illini fell behind in multiple matches against Southern California on Tuesday morning during a match play quarterfinal at Rich Harvest Farms. But Eduardo Lipparelli and Giovanni Tadiotto posted victories in the day’s first two matches for Illinois as veteran Nick Hardy bounced back to defeat USC star Rico Hoey on the final hole to clinch a berth in the semifinals for the Illini.