Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini junior Jackson Buchanan led the individual race after the first day of the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational at Forest Hills Golf Club. Buchanan, from Dacula, Georgia, recorded Saturday's lowest score in Round 2 with a 66 (-6), following an opening round of 70 (-2). His performance placed him as the 36-hole leader and helped position Illinois in fifth place among teams, trailing top-ranked North Carolina.

Buchanan aims for consecutive victories after winning his third career title at the Duck Invitational in Eugene, Oregon. Head coach Mike Small commented on the team's fluctuating performance: "We were up and down throughout the day once again. There wasn't a lot of consistency. At times we showed really good play, and we had other stretches where it was not sharp."

Small highlighted Buchanan's contribution: "One way that a team can get out of that funk is to have one player get really hot, and Jackson did that today." He emphasized the need for improved consistency moving forward: "Tomorrow, we need to show the ability to shorten the stretches of loose play."

In addition to Buchanan's lead, three Illini players posted top-25 scores through two rounds. Freshman Max Herendeen tied for 17th at even par (144), while sophomore Ryan Voois tied for 21st at +1 (145). Fifth-year Tyler Goecke contributed with scores of 74 and 75 across both rounds, totaling +5 (149) in 46th place. Freshman Ethan Wilson ended tied for 50th with a total score of +8 (152).

Illinois stands at -2 as a team entering Round 3, positioned four shots behind host Augusta and No.18 Texas, who are tied for second place. The final round begins with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT.

Live scoring will be available on GolfStat.com.