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 Illinois men's golf team, ranked 16th nationally, concluded their participation at The Johnnie-O tournament held at Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Despite a promising finish, the team struggled to find consistency throughout the event and ultimately placed eighth among 14 teams.
Head coach Mike Small commented on the team's performance: "It was a tough week, and we've got some work to do. We were never in the tournament from the first hole on the first day. I thought that we would rally back today and play a solid final round, but we didn't even come close. This was the worst representation of the way to play 'Illini golf' that I've seen from our team in a lot of years, and it has to improve."
Illinois finished with a score of 290 (+2) for Round 3, which marked their highest score across all three rounds after posting scores of 282 and 288 previously. Their overall total was 860 over 54 holes, placing them six shots shy of reaching the top five positions. Notre Dame claimed victory with an impressive score of 832.
Max Herendeen emerged as one of Illinois' standout performers during Round 3 by shooting under par. He recovered from difficulties early in his round to shoot a final score of two-under-par (70), finishing tied for 26th place alongside Jackson Buchanan.
Tyler Goecke achieved Illinois' highest individual placement by tying for 14th overall. Despite encountering challenges during his third round, he managed to finish strongly with birdies over three out of his last five holes.
Additional performances included Timmy Crawford tying for 63rd place and Ryan Voois tying for 46th place within this main event.
At The Johnnie-O Individual competition held nearby at Sea Palms Course; Ethan Wilson excelled by securing second position while Piercen Hunt tied third alongside Jerry Ji's seventh-place finish.
Illinois will next participate in an exhibition match against Texas scheduled at Chechessee Creek Club located near Okatie South Carolina this coming Thursday where both teams showcase longstanding competitive histories within NCAA Match Play tournaments since its format adoption back in year2009
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