Fighting Illini junior golfer Max Herendeen has been chosen to compete in the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup as a member of Team USA, according to a May 5 announcement made live on Golf Channel.
Herendeen’s selection marks his second straight appearance at the Ryder Cup-style event. He previously competed for Team USA in 2025 at Congaree Golf Club and will again represent the United States against Team International at Tralee Golf Links in West Barrow, Ireland, from July 3-5.
A two-time All-American during his freshman and sophomore years, Herendeen entered the current season with preseason All-America honors. He is ranked No. 50 nationally among NCAA Division I men’s golfers, holding the top position on the Illinois team and ranking second in the Big Ten this season. His career-low scoring average of 70.67 puts him on pace for one of the program’s all-time Top 10 marks, while his overall career average of 70.83 is currently second only to Adrien Dumont de Chassart’s school record (70.82). This season, Herendeen has achieved four collegiate wins—including medalist honors at the Duck Invitational—and recently tied for third place to earn All-Championship Team recognition at the Big Ten Championship.
Herendeen leads Illinois with 21 rounds of par or better, including fourteen rounds in the sixties and five top-five finishes this year. He becomes just the eighth different Illini men’s golfer to play in the Palmer Cup and joins Dumont de Chassart and Thomas Detry as one of three Illinois players to make multiple appearances—becoming also the first Illini athlete to do so twice with Team USA.
Illinois has now sent representatives to this international competition five times over six years and eleven times since 2010. Other Fighting Illini who have played in past Arnold Palmer Cups include Tommy Kuhl (2023), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (2021 and 2022), Nick Hardy (2017), Charlie Danielson (2016), Thomas Detry (2014 and 2015), Thomas Pieters (2012), and Scott Langley (2010).
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Golf team competes under NCAA Division I guidelines within the Big Ten Conference; it offers student-athletes opportunities for competition, growth, academic achievement, and fosters values such as team spirit and individual excellence under head coach Mike Small—enhancing athletic heritage at Illinois—according to their official website.
