Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's golf team, seeded 11th, is currently positioned in ninth place after the second round of the NCAA Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's North Course. The team entered Saturday tied for fifth but dropped four spots after posting a collective score of 297 (+9). This leaves them in a precarious position with a cut to 15 teams imminent following Sunday's third round.

Senior Jackson Buchanan led the Illini on Saturday with an even-par 72. He is tied for 33rd place at one-over through 36 holes, alongside teammate Ryan Voois. Voois, who opened with a strong four-under 68, struggled in the second round with a five-over 77.

Sophomore Max Herendeen stands as Illinois' leading player after two rounds, sitting at even-par and tied for 25th place. He matched Voois' opening score of four-under but finished four-over on Saturday.

Freshman Trey Marrion showed improvement from his initial performance. After starting Friday's opener at four-over through three holes, he managed to stabilize his play. On Saturday, Marrion began with a birdie and concluded three-over for the day with a score of 74 (+2), placing him just behind Buchanan.

Sophomore Ethan Wilson contributed to Illinois' scorecard after replacing freshman Jake Birdwell in the lineup. Wilson completed his NCAA Championship debut with a three-over 75.

Sunday's third round will see Illinois paired with No. 2 Oklahoma State and No. 3 Ole Miss, teeing off from No.1 at 7:25 a.m. PT. Scores can be tracked live via Clippd Scoreboard.