Chambana Sun

The Fighting Illini men's golf team concluded their run at the 2024 Big Ten Championship with a second-place finish. The event, held at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, saw the Illini's streak of eight consecutive league titles come to an end.

Illinois recorded a team total of 878 (+38), with Sunday's round contributing a score of 292 (+12). However, Northwestern maintained its lead throughout the competition and secured a 15-stroke victory with a total of 863 (+23). The Wildcats' success was led by medalist Daniel Svard.

"Today was representative of the whole week," said head coach Mike Small. "Hats off to Northwestern. They controlled the narrative and the energy from Day 1. Nobody else played to that level. They had four guys finish in the top 10, that's just bringing it, and that's what winners do at this tournament - it has to be a total team effort."

Junior Jackson Buchanan earned All-Big Ten Championship Team honors for his performance, finishing as runner-up with a score of 212 (+2). Despite making significant progress late in Round 3, Buchanan ended one stroke behind Svard after a bogey on hole 16.

"Jackson competed," Small added. "He didn't have his best stuff from tee to green this week either - I think all of us struggled striking the ball for whatever reason - but he hit eight greens today and had a chance to win."

The Illini also saw contributions from freshmen Max Herendeen and Ethan Wilson and sophomore Ryan Voois. Herendeen finished tied for 16th overall with a score of 223 (+13), marking the best finish for an Illini freshman since Adrien Dumont de Chassart's win in 2019.

Wilson climbed up the leaderboard significantly on Sunday with a round score of 73 (+3), finishing tied for 30th at 227 (+17). Voois ended his weekend tied for 26th with a three-round total of 226 (+16).

Senior Piercen Hunt concluded his tournament tied for 19th place with an overall score of 225 (+15), achieving his third career top-20 finish at the Big Ten Championships.

Looking ahead, Illinois will participate in the NCAA Tournament regional selections announced on May 1st. The regionals are scheduled from May 13-15 across six locations including West Lafayette, Indiana; Rancho Santa Fe, California; Stanford, California; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Austin, Texas.

For more updates on Fighting Illini men's golf news, fans can visit FightingIllini.com or follow @IlliniMGolf on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.