Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini men's golf senior Jackson Buchanan and sophomore Max Herendeen have garnered significant preseason recognitions as the team prepares for the 2024-25 season opener at the Folds of Honor Collegiate.

On Tuesday, Buchanan was named to the first team of the Golfweek Preseason All-America team, while Herendeen earned a spot on the third team. The following day, both athletes were also honored by Golf Channel's Preseason All-America list, with Buchanan again receiving first-team honors and Herendeen being placed on the second team.

Additionally, both golfers were included in the fall watch list for the 2024-25 Fred Haskins Award, which is awarded annually to the top male U.S. collegiate golfer based on votes from college golfers, coaches, and golf media members.

Buchanan enters his senior year ranked No. 6 in PGA TOUR University Class of 2025 rankings released on July 31. Last season, he was named Big Ten Men's Golfer of the Year and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection. He also earned GCAA All-America third-team honors. Buchanan competed in all 13 stroke play events last year and had an average stroke score of 70.92. He achieved runner-up status at the Big Ten Championship and claimed medalist honors at two events: Purdue Fall Invitational and Duck Invitational. His performance included eight top-10 finishes and 12 sub-70 rounds.

Over the summer, Buchanan participated in notable tournaments including the U.S. Open, PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, Korn Ferry Tour's Memorial Health Championship, and reached the semifinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur.

Herendeen made history as a freshman last season by becoming only the fourth freshman in Illinois history to earn GCAA All-America honors (second team). He played in every event for Illinois and began his collegiate career with a runner-up finish at Sahalee Players Championship via playoff for medalist honors. He won his first collegiate tournament at NCAA Stanford Regional and finished second by one shot in stroke play at NCAA Championship. Herendeen led Illinois with a stroke average of 70.87—the best ever recorded by an Illini freshman—and had top-20 finishes in 12 out of 13 stroke play events.

During summer competitions, Herendeen secured top-10 finishes at Sunnehanna Amateur (5th), Washington State Amateur Championship (2nd), and Western Amateur Championship (9th).