MOBILE, Ala. – The 20th-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team defended its title at the Hal Williams Collegiate, closing out the victory by three strokes despite a hard charge by LSU during Tuesday's final round.
"Getting the win is just a nice way to start off the season," head coach Mike Small said. "We come down here to win, but we also come down here to evaluate and grow, and to build our body of work, individually and as a team. But to get a win is the first plan of business, and we did that.
"LSU played awfully well today, and put some pressure on us. But we had Jackson (Buchanan) and Ryan (Voois), who really threw some low scores up there today, which was good, and we got some help from other guys too. I think it was a total team effort. Even our individuals played some solid golf this week."
All five members of the Illini's lineup posted top-17 finishes, paced by Voois who tied for fourth with a career-best score of 206 (-7). The sophomore opened with a 1-over 72, but carded back-to-back scores of 4-under 67 in Rounds 2 and 3, matching his career-low single-round tally set last year in Round 2 of the Hal Williams Collegiate, to rise up the leaderboard.
Buchanan mirrored Voois' rise up the leaderboard, posting a 71 in his opening round before back-to-back 68s to finish with a 54-hole tally of 207 (-6) to secure sole possession of eighth place. It marks Buchanan's fourth top-10 in five stroke play starts this season.
Fifth-year senior Timmy Crawford, who won the Illini's final stroke play event of the fall schedule as an individual at the Dayton Flyer Invitational, added his second top-10 finish of the year with 4-under 209 after carding rounds of 67, 71 and 71.
Another fifth-year senior, Jerry Ji, and true freshman Max Herendeen posted matching scores of 211 (-2) to finish in a tie for 17th. Ji's week was highlighted by an opening 68 (-3) in Round 1. Herendeen started slow with a 73 in Round 1, before bouncing back with two rounds of 69 (-2) in Rounds 2 and 3.
Piercen Hunt, Tyler Goecke, and Ethan Wilson finished third, tied for 10th, and tied for 41st, respectively, as individual competitors. Hunt opened with rounds of 68 and 65 to lead after 36 holes, but dropped two spots with a closing 72. His 8-under 205 marks a season-best score, and his third-place finish is his best since also placing third last April at the inaugural Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate. Goecke's top-10 is his first as an Illini. His opening 69 in Round 1, and his 54-hole total of 209 (-4) are both season lows.
As a team, the Illini carded an 827 (-25), edging LSU (830) by three strokes. VCU (836) finished third, with Davidson (849) and Kansas State (850) rounding out the top five of the team standings.
UP NEXT
The Illini return to the course, Feb. 25-27, with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track. Illinois won the 2023 Southern Highlands Collegiate in thrilling fashion, rallying from 10 shots down in the final round to come away with the team title.
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