Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois men's golf team commenced their participation in the Southern Highlands Collegiate tournament on Sunday. The team, ranked 12th, finished the first day tied for sixth place with a collective score of 302 (+14), facing challenging windy conditions.

Freshman Trey Marrion delivered the best individual performance for the Illini, scoring a 1-over 73 and placing him in a tie for 11th out of an 84-player field. Marrion started strong with eight consecutive pars but dropped two shots due to bogeys on holes nine and ten. He managed to recover with a birdie on the par-4 sixteenth hole, leaving him six strokes behind Caden Fioroni from UNLV, who leads at five-under.

Sophomore Max Herendeen shot a 75 (+3), tying him for 22nd place, while senior Jackson Buchanan carded a 76 (+4), placing him in 30th position. Sophomore Ethan Wilson completed his round with a score of 78 (+6), tying for 51st place. Junior Ryan Voois is one stroke behind Wilson, sitting in a tie for 59th place.

Competing individually, freshman Jake Birdwell scored a 77 (+5) and is tied for 41st as he heads into Monday's second round.

The current team leader is Auburn, ranked second nationally, finishing at two-under par. They are followed by host UNLV at two-over par. Pepperdine and New Mexico share third place at seven-over par each, while Virginia completes the top five at nine-over par. The Illini are tied with Texas A&M, which ranks twenty-sixth.

Round two will commence on Monday with tee times starting from holes one and ten at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT. Illinois will be paired with teams from New Mexico and Virginia, beginning their play at hole number one from approximately 11:50 a.m. CT/9:50 a.m. PT.

Live scoring updates are available through Clippd Scoreboard.

"Follow @IlliniMGolf on social media: X | Instagram | Facebook," suggests following official channels for further updates about Fighting Illini men's golf activities.