Barlow takes State Am crown, turns focus to season with Illini

Winning the prestigious Illinois State Am should do wonders for Zach Barlow’s confidence on the golf course.

But it won’t guarantee the redshirt junior a spot on Mike Small’s loaded Illinois golf team.

“I’m a firm believer in open competition,” Small said Thursday as Barlow won his first State Am title in Wheaton. “It (would be) a great win for him, but it doesn’t guarantee him anything.”

Barlow held off a late charge from Philip Arouca to clinch the four-round tournament at Cantigny Golf Course. He finished 7 under par, 3 strokes in the lead.

But Barlow’s final day wasn’t without some drama. He entered with a 2-stroke lead, but double bogeyed the second hole and eventually lost the lead as his score dipped to 3 under through six holes.

Barlow birdied the seventh, but said a par save on nine was the turning point to his round. He hit his tee shot in the fairway bunker and needed two more shots to reach the green before making a 20-foot putt from above the hole to save par.

“I put a star by the hole as I look back on my day,” Barlow said. “So many of my crucial putts were to save par. Those were the differences in my rounds.”

Barlow played the back nine at 2 under and took a 3-shot lead into the final round in the afternoon. He birdied the first and fourth holes and saw his lead balloon to 6 shots after a birdie on the eighth.

“My approach never changed no matter whether the lead was 6 or 4 or 2,” Barlow said. “I just wanted to play the course, stay aggressive and keep to my game.”

Barlow, a former Class 1A state champ from Percy, is one of five regulars returning from an Illinois team that placed 17th at the NCAAs. With two talented freshmen on the way, Barlow will have to play well later this month when Small lines up his golfers against each other at Stone Creek in Urbana.

May the best Illini make the rotation.

And with two Illini — Chris DeForest and Scott Langley — headed to the U.S. Amateur, competition will be stiff.

“Zach improved last year as much as anyone I’ve had in a long time, and that’s a testament to him,” Small said. “He’s a gritty competitor, a little fighter. That’s what I love about him.”

“I feel good about the mental side of my game,” Barlow said. “I’m ready to get back to school and help the University of Illinois play for a national championship.”

Barlow is the first Illini to win the State Am since D.A. Points claimed his third title in 1999.

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