Chambana Sun

The ninth-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team recorded the lowest team score in Round 2 of the Folds of Honor Collegiate on Tuesday, posting a 6-under 278. This effort nearly erased No. 16 Alabama's 11-shot lead, bringing Illinois within one stroke of the Crimson Tide as they head into Wednesday's final round at American Dunes Golf Club.

Max Herendeen led Illinois in Round 2 with a 4-under 67, the second-lowest individual round of the day. Herendeen’s performance moved him up 13 spots on the leaderboard, tying him with teammate Jackson Buchanan for fifth place.

Buchanan maintained his form with a second consecutive round of 1-under 70. Both players are tied at a total score of 140 (-2), trailing individual leader Dominic Clemons of Alabama by five shots.

Freshman Trey Marrion, making his debut for Illinois this week, is one shot behind Herendeen and Buchanan, tied for 10th place at 141 (-1). Marrion improved his opening score of 71 with a second-round score of 70, marking his first under-par collegiate round.

Sophomore Ethan Wilson is also among the top performers for Illinois, standing at 3-over through two rounds. He improved by three strokes from Round 1 to card an even-par 71 in Round 2, moving up seven spots to tie for 20th place at a total score of 145 (+3). Junior Ryan Voois holds a two-round total of 148 (+6), tying for 33rd place.

Alabama (-5) and Illinois (-4) are the only teams under par after two rounds. Defending champion Notre Dame is at +2, followed by co-host Michigan State (+3) and eighth-ranked Texas (+5) rounding out the top five in team standings.

The final round of the Folds of Honor Collegiate will commence on Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available via Scoreboard powered by Clippd, and Golf Channel coverage will resume at 3:30 p.m. CT.