Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's golf team, ranked 18th nationally, improved their position to third place at the Big Ten Championship during Round 2 at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. The team recorded a score of 16-over 296 on Saturday amidst challenging windy conditions.

Illinois managed to surpass Purdue but remained behind Northwestern and Michigan State in the standings. As the competition heads into its final round on Sunday, Illinois trails by 12 strokes in pursuit of what would be their ninth consecutive conference title and their 21st Big Ten crown overall.

Head coach Mike Small emphasized the importance of strong performances from all players. "We've got to be on point tomorrow," he stated. "All five guys have to play well and play solid, and we can't have the unforced errors that we've had."

Junior Jackson Buchanan led Illinois for the second consecutive day, moving up to a tie for third place individually with a score of 71 (+1), just two strokes behind leader Ashton McCulloch from Michigan State.

Senior Piercen Hunt and freshman Max Herendeen also made significant progress in Round 2. Hunt climbed ten spots to tie for 13th after delivering a bogey-free back nine, while Herendeen moved up fourteen spots to tie for 18th.

Freshman Ethan Wilson contributed with a score of 78 (+8) and is tied for 49th place overall. Sophomore Ryan Voois is tied for 39th following an 80 (+10) performance.

The final round will commence on Sunday morning with tee times starting at 8 a.m. ET/7 a.m. CT. The Illini will begin their round at approximately 9:40 a.m. ET/8:40 a.m. CT.

For more information about the tournament or live scoring updates, fans can visit Golfstat.com or follow Fighting Illini men's golf news through various social media platforms.