LOXLEY, Ala. -- The Fighting Illini men's golf program, ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA men's golf team ranking, and No. 13 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, returns to the Gulf Coast for the second consecutive week to close out the fall schedule at the Steelwood Collegiate Invitational.
The Illini, coming off a second-place team finish that concluded Monday at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational in Saucier, Miss., will play their final three rounds of the fall slate, Saturday and Sunday at Steelwood Country Club, hosted by South Alabama.
THE SETTING
The Steelwood Collegiate Invitational will be contested on the Par-72, 7,032-yard Steelwood Country Club. The Steelwood Golf Course was designed by former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate and ranked by GolfWeek as "One of the Top Five Private Golf Courses in Alabama" in 2019.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days with 36 holes scheduled for Saturday and the final 18 set for Sunday. Rounds 1 and 2 on Saturday begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. CT. Round 3 will open Sunday with tee times off Holes 1 and 10 beginning at 7:40 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The tournament field features 14 programs vying for the title, including eight programs ranked in the top 80 of the NCAA men's golf team ranking. The No. 12 Illini will face: No. 62 Clemson, No. 64 Kennesaw State, No. 72 Chattanooga, No. 73 Nebraska, No. 78 Kansas State, No. 79 Troy, and No. 80 and host South Alabama. The rest of the field includes Kenttucky (84), Rice (88), East Carolina (101), Memphis (100), Louisiana Tech (121), and Virginia Tech (190).
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Jackson Buchanan
No. 2: Max Herendeen
No. 3: Trey Marrion
No. 4: Ethan Wilson
No. 5: Ryan Voois
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Individual: Jake Birdwell
ILLINI AT THE STEELWOOD COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
The Steelwood Collegiate Invitational is new to the Illini schedule this year. No members of the Illini roster have previously played in the event.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational will be available via Clippd Scoreboard. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
UP NEXT
The Illini will return to the course in early 2025 for the annual Tinervin Cup exhibition at Coral Creek Golf Club in Placida, Fla. The team will officially open the spring schedule, Feb. 13-15, at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate in Hawai'i.
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