PLACIDA, Fla. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team unofficially opened its 2024 spring schedule on Saturday, matching up against a group of program alumni in an exhibition. The event, hosted annually by Jeff Tinervin at Coral Creek Golf Club, offers the Illini a chance to test themselves at one of the top courses in the state of Florida as they prepare for the spring schedule.
Team Orange, made up of Timmy Crawford, Tyler Goecke, Piercen Hunt, and Jerry Ji finished first, totaling a team score of 284, four strokes ahead of Team Alumni comprised of Larry Blatt, Luke Guthrie, Tommy Kuhl, and Dylan Meyer. Team Blue – Jackson Buchanan, Max Herendeen, Ryan Voois, and Ethan Wilson – finished third with a team score of 290.
The Illini now turn their attention to the team's official 2024 opener at the Hal Williams Intercollegiate, Feb. 12-13, hosted by South Alabama at Magnolia Grove Country Club's Crossings Course in Mobile, Ala. Illinois has competed in the event in each of the last four seasons, securing team wins in 2021 and 2023.
