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 No. 5-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team secured a sixth-place finish at the Windon Memorial Classic on Monday, held at Conway Farms Golf Club. The team was led by senior Jackson Buchanan, who achieved his second top-10 finish of the season.
The Illini recorded a 54-hole team score of 861 (+9) over two days. They completed the remaining holes of Sunday night's second round on Monday morning before moving into Round 3.
No. 13-ranked Arizona emerged as the team champion with a score of -10, followed by Marquette at -7 in second place. Northwestern (+2), Kansas (+6), and South Florida (+8) rounded out the top five, finishing ahead of Illinois. The Illini managed head-to-head victories against ten programs, including No. 25-ranked Pepperdine and three other teams—Notre Dame, Purdue, and Michigan State—that received votes in the GCAA coaches poll.
Buchanan began with a score of 70 (-1) in Round 1 but struggled late on Sunday, ending with a 75 (+4) for Round 2 on Monday morning. He finished strong with a final round score of 67 (-4), which was the fourth-lowest individual score in Round 3. This performance allowed him to climb eleven spots up the leaderboard to secure his second top-10 finish this fall with an overall score of 212 (-1).
Marquette's Patrick Adler won medalist honors with an impressive score of -11 (202), leading by five strokes over his nearest competitor.
Sophomore Max Herendeen marked a season-low for Illinois with a Round 2 score of 66 (-5). He finished two shots behind Buchanan at +1 (214), securing his tenth career top-15 finish through sixteen stroke play events as an Illini. Freshman Trey Marrion also performed well, achieving his second top-25 finish in three collegiate events with a total score of +5 (218).
Sophomore Ethan Wilson and junior Ryan Voois completed the scoring for Illinois in Round 3. Wilson closed with a score of +2 (73) and tied for forty-first overall at +8 (221). Voois tied for sixty-fourth place at +14 (227), posting his best individual round on Sunday afternoon with a closing score of seventy-one.
Freshmen Jake Birdwell and Joseph Buttress participated as individuals in the event. Birdwell tied for forty-sixth place with a total score of +9 (222), while Buttress finished eighty-eighth at +33 (246).
Next, Illinois will compete at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational from October 19-21 in Saucier, Mississippi.
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