LAS VEGAS, Nev. – With scores up across the board throughout a windy Round 2 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate on Monday, the Fighting Illini men's golf team slid into a tie for sixth but remains in the hunt with 18 holes remaining in one of collegiate golf's strongest fields.
"Conditions were extremely tough today, especially later in the day," head coach
Mike Small said. "The wind was way up, and we didn't handle it as well as we needed to with some unforced errors around the greens. This is a good learning experience for our team, and we'll come out tomorrow looking to close strong."
After opening in a tie for second with an 8-under 280 on Sunday, the Orange and Blue posted a team score of 302 (+14) on Day 2, led Jackson Buchanan's 73 (+1). The junior was one of only 14 golfers in the 85-player field to improve his score from Round 1 to Round 2, shaving two strokes off his opening 75 (+3), despite the windy conditions, to move 17 spots up the individual leaderboard into a tie for 43rd.
Three other Illini remain inside the top 30 after two rounds, paced by fifth-year senior Tyler Goecke, who was tied for second following an opening 67 (-5) before posting a 76 (+4) in Round 2 to move into a tie for 11th at 143 (-1). Goecke is seven shots off the pace of individual leader Jack Lundin (-8) of Missouri.
Illini freshman Max Herendeen matched Goecke's 76 (+4) on Monday, moving into a tie for 22nd at 145 (+1) through 36 holes. Sophomore Ryan Voois is one shot behind Herendeen in a tie for 26th, rounding out the Day 2 scoring for the Illini with a 77 (+5), while senior Piercen Hunt sits in a tie for 76th at 158 (+14) entering Tuesday's finale.
The Illini, ranked No. 16 in the latest GCAA Coaches poll and No. 20 in the NCAA Division I team rankings, are one of 13 teams in the 15-team field to come into the tournament inside the top 50 in the NCAA metric.
With 18 holes remaining 15th-ranked Oklahoma sits atop the team leaderboard as the only program under par with a 575 (-1). Illinois is seven strokes behind the Sooners in a tie with No. 2 Auburn at 582 (+6). No. 1 North Carolina is solo second at 578 (+2), one shot ahead of No. 16 Florida and No. 22 Texas in a tie for third at 579 (+3). No. 35 San Diego State rounds out the top five with a team score of 580 (+4).
Round 3 is set to start Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT with tee times off Holes 1 and 10. The Illini, paired with the Gators and Aztecs, will tee off of No. 1 beginning at 11:50 a.m. CT/9:50 a.m. PT. Live scoring is available via GolfGenius.
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