Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf team finished third at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, held at Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort in Saucier, Mississippi. The Illini, ranked No. 18 nationally, posted a season-best final round of 272 (-16), tying for the lowest team round of the tournament and moving up the leaderboard against a competitive field.

Illinois completed the three-round event with a total score of 835 (-29), finishing three strokes behind co-champions LSU (No. 9) and Alabama (No. 20). The Illini outpaced fifth-ranked Arkansas, who finished fourth at -18, and No. 7 Ole Miss, who placed fifth at -15.

The team's final round was led by junior Max Herendeen and sophomore Trey Marrion, both shooting rounds of 66 (-6). Herendeen's performance earned him a tie for second place individually with a total score of 204 (-12), marking his best results this season. "He has now posted top-five finishes in three of the Illini's four fall tournaments to open the 2025-26 season and has 11 top-five finishes in his collegiate career," according to the release.

Marrion also achieved a personal milestone by moving up 19 spots on the leaderboard with his career-low round. He finished tied for seventh overall with a total score of 209 (-7), securing his fourth career top-10 finish.

Juniors Dane Huddleston and senior Ryan Voois contributed to Illinois' Day 3 scoring with rounds of 70 (-2) each. Huddleston finished tied for ninth—his first top-10 finish as an Illini—and recorded a season-best total score of 210 (-6). Voois ended tied for 27th with a total score of 215 (-1), one stroke ahead of sophomore Freddie Turnell, who tied for 34th at even par.

Freshman Dujuan Snyman competed as an individual and tied for 54th place in the field of 81 players with a score of 221 (+5).

LSU’s Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson won medalist honors at -13, finishing one stroke ahead of Herendeen and Alabama’s William Jennings.

With this result, Illinois secured its fourth consecutive top-five team finish during the fall schedule and improved its head-to-head record to 49-6-0 (.891).

The Fighting Illini are set to return to action when their spring schedule begins on February 16-17 at the Hal Williams Collegiate in Mobile, Alabama.