Illinois golfer Michael Feagles has accomplished just about everything that he has wanted to during his time in Champaign. That is, all but win a national championship.

The Illini, who finished second in the Stillwater, Oklahoma regional to host Oklahoma State, will be making their 13th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships and 28th overall for the program, astonishing numbers for a school that plays in a climate not conducive to year-round play.

For Feagles, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, the trip to the NCAAs will be a homecoming for him since the tournament will be held at the Raptor Course at Greyhawk Country Club in Scottsdale.

“I’ve loved every single moment during my time in Champaign, but it would be a great ending to my collegiate career to be bookended by possibly winning a national championship in my hometown. It would complete the journey full circle,” Feagles said.

Greyhawk, in which Feagles is very familiar with, will play much differently than it usually does, and will be set up much different as well for the NCAAs.

“They added numerous tees, lengthened the fairways and added bunkers, so it will play in a way that it never had this time around,” Feagles said. “Aside from that, being from Scottsdale, I’m used to playing in a dry heat, so that aspect won’t bother me in the least.”

Since Feagles has been at Illinois, his parents have only seen him play a handful of times. With the pandemic shutting things down a year ago, he has had the opportunity to work on his game. However, with the tournament coming to Scottsdale, that won’t be an issue this time around.

“My parents were able to make it out to the Big Ten Championships (at Crooked Stick in Indiana) and a tournament in Tucson, and my dad was going to make the trip to Stillwater for the regional, but since we played 36 holes on the first day, figured it wasn’t worth the trip for one day. I’m the oldest of four kids, so my parents have their hands full, which I understand,” Feagles said.

Illinois has been one of the most consistent programs in the past two decades, something that can be attributed to head coach Mike Small, who has continued to reload the program after sending numerous players onto the various professional tours.

“The thing that we want most for Coach Small is to give him that national title that is the only void in his illustrious coaching career,” Feagles said. “We don’t bring it up to him that much, but we as players talk about it all the time. What he has done for us and the program cannot be put into words.”

Small, like the others on the Illinois team, has relied on the expertise of Feagles to give them an idea of what is like to play golf in Arizona in June.

“He has given us so much insight about what we are going to experience out there in

Scottsdale,” Small said. “It’s dry and the heat can be a factor at times, but he has played that course many times and will give us some information about that as well. However, the course will play much differently this time around given the changes they have made.”

Small added that “for Michael to finish up where it all started for him would be a fitting end. He most likely will turn professional after the championships conclude and given the feedback that we’ve received from the rankings, that seems to be a logical career choice for him.”

It will truly be a storybook ending if Illinois can find a way to win their first golf championship, for Feagles, as well as Small himself.