Illinois' Tommy Kuhl reacts to disqualifying himself from U.S. Open Qualifier

Champaign, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — One of Illinois' top golfers Tommy Kuhl took part in the U.S. open local qualifier over the weekend in Springfield. Kuhl shot a course record 62, which would have been medal honors and a spot in the U.S. Open final qualifiers. However, when walking the course with his Illinois teammates, Tommy realized he repaired aerated marks on the golf course. This is against U.S. Open rules and Kuhl chose to disqualify himself, which would erase his course record in a spot in the qualifier finals.

"It was a tough day, obviously. I played really well. Obviously, a rule I didn't know. It sucked in the moment, but it happens. It's life. I wanted to own up to it because that's golf. I wouldn't feel good about myself at all, very unfortunate situation. But, you know, kind of just moving past it and just realizing that it's in the past and, you know, I learned from it. It's never gonna happen again, but it feels good to own up to it," said Kuhl following his decision to disqualify himself.

The Illinois men's golf team will travel to Bath, Michigan this weekend to begin the NCAA Regional stage of the NCAA Golf National Championships. The Illini are the top team in their region. They will take the course on Monday the 15th, and the three-day event will conclude on the 17th.