The Illini men's golf team looked like an entirely different squad on the golf course this weekend. Following their previous weak performance, they were back in full effect at the Inverness Intercollegiate.

After two strong rounds of play, Illinois trailed by a mere three strokes to leader UCLA. Unfortunately for the Illini, they could not hold on and slipped into third place after the final round. But with six of the 15-team field ranked in the Top 30 in the nation Illinois head coach Mike Small was delighted with his team's finish.

"It was a big improvement from last week," Small said. "We beat some quality teams, including all of the teams in our district."

Illinois carded rounds of 301-296-301 en route to a final finish of 898, just two points behind runner-up, Kansas State. No. 2 UCLA took home the title with rounds totaling 886.

The Illini had strong representation on the individual level. Senior Joe Affrunti led the squad, tying for fourth place at 9-over par. The Inverness Intercollegiate marked Affrunti's first tournament with the Illini after transferring from Minnesota. He carded rounds of 74-73-75 en route to a finishing score of 222.

"It feels pretty good to have a finish like that," Affrunti said. " I wish I could have done a little better, as we all could have. But overall, we played well considering our performance last week."

Following Affrunti's lead, juniors Mike O'Neal and Garrett Chaussard tied for 14th place at 12-over par. All-American Patrick Nagle finished behind the two juniors at 14-over par, good enough to tie for 24th place.

Nagle has been a driving force for the young Illinois golf squad, and Small is not displeased with his individual ranking.

"Golf is a tough sport," Small said. "Some days you have it and some days you don't. He competed hard and that is the first thing I want. The rest will fall into place."

After a shaky start, the squad was ready to turn heads at the Inverness Intercollegiate. They practiced numerous skills, which cost them valuable shots at their previous event.

"The week before was our first tournament of the year," Affrunti said. "Some of the guys playing had never been in a college tournament before. The jitters may have gotten to them."

The Inverness club is a challenging course, but the Illini were prepared.

"Coach had us working on our putting and our short game," Affrunti said. "The course has a hard track and the greens are really difficult."

This weekend's results will set the tone for the rest of the fall season. The Illini wanted to prove themselves and hope that placing third at this prestigious event will be the beginning of a successful season of golf.

"Placing third shows that we are still a very good team," Small said. "We can and should win tournaments. We have a lot to accomplish and a lot to work on. It just proves that Illinois golf is doing well and making its way."

With two tournaments completed, the team has a two week break to regroup and work on strengthening their game. According to Small, the group will be concentrating on their short game and putting the ball on the fairway more often from the tee.