This week's Missouri Valley Conference golfer of the week is TJ Barger of Illinois State.

Opening their 2026 spring season at the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas, the Illinois State men's golf team climbed two spots into a tie for fifth place in the strong field at the event. TJ Barger led the way for ISU, ending fourth in the individual tournament field, finishing with a 54-hole score of 210 (-3).  Tournament host and 50th-ranked Houston took home the team title with a two-under 850. Barger had four birdies and eleven pars over his final round, and he had 13 birdies over his 54 holes, tied for the fourth-most in the tournament field. The top-10 finish is his fifth in his six tournaments this season, and he has 14 rounds at or under par in 18 rounds.

Notable:  The Saluki men's golf team closed out play Tuesday at the Hal Williams Collegiate with a strong third-round performance after two days of competition, February 16–17. Southern Illinois opened the tournament with one of the best rounds in program history. The Salukis fired a 10-under 270in Monday's first round — the second-lowest team score in program history. Anthony de Schutter led the way for Southern Illinois throughout the tournament. He finished 20th overall at 2-under par, in 20th on the leaderboard.