Chambana Sun

Senior golfer Jackson Buchanan led the 14th-ranked Fighting Illini with a course-record round of 63 (-8) at the NCAA Urbana Regional hosted by Illinois at Atkins Golf Club. Buchanan's performance, which included birdies on No. 1 and No. 18, was bogey-free and featured six additional birdies. This gave him a four-stroke lead in the individual race over Troy's Jake Springer and helped the team secure a two-stroke lead.

Following Illinois' score of -7, Texas Tech posted -5, UNLV scored -3, and Troy finished at -1 on Day 1. Long Beach State and Marquette are tied for fifth place at +1, just ahead of top-seeded Oklahoma State as teams compete for five berths in the upcoming NCAA Championship at La Costa.

Buchanan's round of 63 is tied for the second-lowest individual score in program history, matching previous postseason records set by Brian Campbell in 2014, Dylan Meyer in 2017, and Max Herendeen last year.

Junior Ryan Voois and Max Herendeen also placed within the top-20 after Round 1. Voois recorded an opening round of 70 (-1), while Herendeen finished even-par despite starting his day strong with three under through fifteen holes before finishing three over on Holes 17 and 18.

Freshman Jake Birdwell contributed with a score of +2 (73), while sophomore Ethan Wilson carded a +6 (77), not factoring into the team's Round 1 tally.

Round 2 begins Tuesday morning with tee times starting at 8 a.m. CT. Illinois will be paired with Texas Tech and UNLV as they begin from Hole 1. Live scoring is available via Clippd Scoreboard, and spectators can attend free of charge.