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 Fighting Illini men's golf team, ranked 10th nationally, secured victory at the Memphis Intercollegiate on Tuesday. The tournament concluded at Colonial Country Club, where the Illini surpassed host Memphis in the final round.
Three members of the Illini squad achieved top-10 finishes, while all team participants, including individual competitor Jake Birdwell, were among the top 16 out of 84 contenders. This victory is their second of the season, following their win at the Steelwood Collegiate in October. It also marks the 93rd team tournament victory under head coach Mike Small. The team has now achieved multiple victories each season for five consecutive years, going back to the COVID-19 shortened season of 2019-20, and for 17 consecutive full seasons since 2007-08.
The Illini finished with a team score of 289 (+1) in the final round, culminating in a 54-hole total of 878 (+14). They entered the day trailing Memphis by five strokes but managed to outshoot the Tigers by ten strokes over the last 18 holes, resulting in a five-stroke win.
Junior Ryan Voois was the top competitor for the Illini, finishing with a score of 218 (+2), just four strokes shy of medalist Diego Lourenco of Memphis. Voois' final round included an even-par 72, moving him up to a tie for third, marking his best finish this season.
Sophomore Max Herendeen finished fifth with a 219 (+3), marking his seventh top-five career finish and third this season. Sophomore Ethan Wilson secured a tie for 10th, his best lineup finish this season, after improving across rounds to finish with a 71 in the final round, culminating in a total of 222 (+6).
Freshman Trey Marrion tied for 12th with a score of 221 (+8), equaling his classmate Birdwell who also placed second among individual competitors. Senior Jackson Buchanan advanced 15 spots on the leaderboard with his closing 71, tying for 16th and marking his seventh top-20 finish in nine events.
The Fighting Illini will waste no time in returning to competition as they head to Georgia for the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational this coming weekend. The event, hosted by Augusta University, will take place at Forest Hills Golf Club, located near the renowned Augusta National Golf Club.
Alerts Sign-up