Mike Small Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Mike Small Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
The Fighting Illini men's golf team, ranked No. 5 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, opened the 18th annual OFCC/Fighting Illini Classic with an even-par team round of 280. This performance places them in a tie for fifth with 36 holes remaining.
Three Illinois players achieved top-25 scores. Junior Ryan Voois led the team with a 1-under 69, tying for 11th place. His score marks a career-low at Olympia Fields, surpassing his previous rounds of 74 and 73 from last year's weather-shortened tournament.
Senior Jackson Buchanan and Max Herendeen both recorded even-par scores of 70, tying for 22nd place. Buchanan balanced four bogeys with four birdies, while Herendeen had one birdie and one bogey. Buchanan's score is his personal best at OFCC, and Herendeen has now recorded three consecutive rounds of par or better on the North Course.
True freshman Trey Marrion contributed a score of 71 (+1), tying for 32nd place. Ethan Wilson carded a 76 (+6), placing him in a tie for 67th.
Freshmen Jake Birdwell and Joseph Buttress made their collegiate debuts on Friday. Birdwell scored a 73 (+3), tying for 46th place, while Buttress matched Wilson's score to share the position at six-over.
No. 2 Arizona State leads the field by six shots at seven-under par, followed by No. 9 Florida, No. 16 North Carolina, and No.17 Georgia Tech tied for second at one-under par. Illinois shares fifth place with No.10 Florida State and No.22 Stanford at even-par.
ASU's Jose Luis Ballester and GT's Benjamin Reuter hold a four-shot lead in the individual competition as they head into Saturday's second round.
Due to potential inclement weather later in the weekend, Rounds Two and Three will be played on Saturday with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. CT—30 minutes earlier than initially scheduled. If Round Three cannot be completed on Saturday afternoon, play will continue on Sunday if weather permits.
Illinois will be paired with No.11 Texas and Big Ten rival Northwestern among the first groups off the No.1 tee on Saturday morning. Live scoring is available on Golfstat.com.
For more updates on Fighting Illini men's golf, visit FightingIllini.com or follow @IlliniMGolf on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook.
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