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Tyler Annala in the fairway during a playoff hole

Men's Golf 10/7/2025 4:14:00 PM

Annala Finishes T1, Falls in Playoff Hole to finish Second at Flyer Fall Intercollegiate

LEMONT, Ill. - It was a career-defining tournament for senior Tyler Annala, as he finished the Flyer Fall Intercollegiate as a 54-hole co-tournament champion before losing in the second playoff hole to finish second.

Annala, who entered the third round with a two-round score of +2, started slow, shooting +7 in his first nine holes. Annala then caught fire, carding four straight birdies on 15, 16, 17, and 18 to catapult him back into a share of the tournament lead. After pars on holes one and two, Annala carded a bogey on the par-four third, but immediately responded with a birdie on the par-four fourth, holding a share for the lead with one hole to play. Annala had a chance to win the tournament with a birdie on the par-five fifth, but a par on the last sent him to a three-way playoff. Annala would eventually lose on the second playoff hole to finish second, marking the best finish of his career and only his second career top-10 finish.

Annala's 10 birdies over 54 holes are the fourth-most, and his three-round score of 221 is the tenth-best three-round score in program history, beating his previous best three-round score by one stroke.

"Tyler played incredible, he showed so much resiliency so much fight," added head coach Ben Johnson. "He grinded it out today. After a poor start, he managed to scramble four birdies together and finish really strong to force a playoff. He did exactly what you needed to do; he didn't show any nerves and played smart. He just got beat on a good putt. I couldn't be prouder of him. He's such a good player and such a good kid. He deserved to win, just came up short, but played outstanding golf."

The trio of Levi Pennala (+26, T44), Brady Badker (+27, T46), and Arthur Ylitalo (+28, T48) all finished back-to-back-to-back, with Ylitalo posting the second-best third-round score of the trio at +6, including birdies on the par-three second and par-five fifth. Badker and Pennala both posted scores of +11 in the third round, with Badker carding a birdie on the par-four eighth. Harvey Ylitalo (+32, T57) rounded out the Wildcats in the field, shooting a third-round score of +12.

The Dubsdread course played slightly harded today, averaging a score of 80.74 as compared to the three-round average of 80.57. Garrett James of Trine won the playoff, followed by Annala and Shane Stanley of Parkside. Full scoring from today can be found here.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Annala: 6' 0"; Senior

Brady Badker: 5' 10"; Senior

Levi Pennala: Sophomore

Arthur Ylitalo: 5' 11"; Junior

Harvey Ylitalo: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tyler Annala
: 6' 0"; Senior

Brady Badker
: 5' 10"; Senior

Levi Pennala
: Sophomore

Arthur Ylitalo
: 5' 11"; Junior

Harvey Ylitalo
: Freshman