LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Illinois men's golf team, ranked No. 16 nationally in the GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and No. 20 in the NCAA Division I team rankings, returns to the course this week to defend its team title against formidable field at the 2024 Southern Highlands Collegiate. The three-day event, hosted by UNLV, will be played Sunday through Tuesday, Feb. 25-27.
The Illini are coming off of their second team victory of the season in their last outing at the Hal Williams Collegiate in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 12-13.
THE SETTING
The Southern Highlands Collegiate is hosted at the Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas, Nev. The course, co-designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and his son Robert Trent Jones, Jr., features the natural beauty of the desert, including mountainous terrain to create sweeping elevation changes, beautiful ponds and waterfalls, deep-faced bunkers and challenging, bent grass greens. The par-72 course spans 7,510 yards.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be a five-count-four format played over three days, with 18 holes slated for each day of competition. Tee times are set, off of Nos. 1 and 10, beginning daily at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT.
THE FIELD
The Southern Highlands Collegiate field includes 15 of the nation's top programs vying for the title, highlighted by 13 programs ranked inside the top 50 in the latest NCAA Division I team rankings. Playing alongside the No. 20 Illini are No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 16 Florida, No. 17 New Mexico, No. 22 Texas, No. 29 Georgia, No. 30 Texas A&M, No 34 Missouri, No. 35 San Diego State, No. 50 UNLV, No. 64 TCU, and No. 70 Pepperdine.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Ryan Voois
No. 2: Jackson Buchanan
No. 3: Max Herendeen
No. 4: Piercen Hunt
No. 5: Tyler Goecke
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Southern Highlands Collegiate will be available on GolfGenius. A Recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
PGA TOUR EXEMPTION
The individual champion at the Southern Highlands Collegiate will earn an exemption into the 2024 Shriners Children's Open, Oct. 14-20, at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
ILLINI AT THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS INTERCOLLEGIATE
Last year, the Illini won the 2023 Southern Highlands Collegiate in thrilling fashion, rallying from 10 shots down over the final round to secure the come-from-behind victory. The Illini also competed in the event five times from 2015 through 2019 before returning to the event in 2022. Illinois has finished in the top 10 each year, highlighted by last season's win.
Senior Piercen Hunt and junior Jackson Buchanan will both play in the tournament for the third consecutive season. Hunt carded shot a 216 (E) to finish T28 last year after posting a 221 (+5) and a tie for 62nd in 2022. Buchanan, who finished 83rd with a 234 (+18) as a freshman in 2022 before shooting a 215 (-1) to secure a tie for 24th in last year's team win.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini head to scenic St. Simons Island, Ga., where they will tee off at The Johnnie-O at Sea Island, hosted by Big Ten foe Rutgers, March 11-12 at the Sea Island Golf Club's Plantation Course.
The team will then head to the nearby Chechessee Creek Club in Okatie, S.C., for a head-to-head exhibition vs. No. 22 Texas on March 14. The matchup features two of the nation's premier programs, with the Illini and Longhorns having combined for 15 NCAA Match Play appearances – eight for Illinois and seven for Texas – since the NCAA Championship's current format was adopted in 2009.
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