Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's golf team concluded its season in the third round of the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, falling short of the cut for the top 15 teams. Sophomore Max Herendeen will advance to compete individually in Monday's stroke play finals.

Ranked 12th nationally, Illinois finished with a total score of 887 (+23) over 54 holes, moving from ninth to 18th place after posting a third-round score of 304 (+16). The team ended six shots away from continuing their championship run.

"It's always a tough time when the season ends; only one team leaves happy," said head coach Mike Small. "It was a very disappointing week, extremely disappointing for Jackson (Buchanan), the senior, but I think it will be a good learning experience for some of these young guys."

Herendeen managed a 1-over-par 73 in his final round, achieving six birdies despite six bogeys and one double-bogey. His overall performance placed him tied for 22nd with a total score of 217 (+1). Herendeen is aiming to join an elite group within Illinois history by securing another top-10 finish.

"It's our responsibility to support and coach Max," said Small. "As a program, we always look up the leaderboard, we don't look down the leaderboard, and that applies individually too."

Senior Jackson Buchanan finished his collegiate career tied for 57th place with a score of 221 (+5), followed by junior Ryan Voois who tied for 71st at +7. Freshmen Trey Marrion and Jake Birdwell completed their rounds in positions T108 and 156 respectively. Sophomore Ethan Wilson contributed with a Round 2 score.

Under Small's leadership since stroke play expanded in 2015, Illinois has made nine NCAA Championship appearances out of ten attempts but missed advancing twice during this period.

"Next year is bright if guys continue improving and get better," added Small. "But again, Illinois golf will be back and we'll come back fighting next year."

Herendeen will tee off Monday after determining the final team spot between Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. Final pairings and times are available through Clippd Scoreboard.