Illini Duo Collects Preseason Recognitions
September 4, 2024 | Men's Golf
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini men's golf senior Jackson Buchanan and sophomore Max Herendeen each collected major preseason recognitions this week as the team continued preparation to open the 2024-25 season Monday at the Folds of Honor Collegiate.
Tuesday, the Golfweek Preseason All-America team was released with Buchanan earning a first-team nod and Herendeen being placed on the third team. Wednesday, both golfers were also honored as Preseason All-Americans by Golf Channel with Buchanan again named to the first team and Herendeen garnering a second-team selection.
Wednesday also saw the duo included among the 25 standouts selected to the fall watch list for the 2024-25 Fred Haskins Award, presented annually to the top male U.S. collegiate golfer as voted on by college golfers, coaches, and members of the golf media.
Buchanan enters his senior season ranked No. 6 in the initial PGA TOUR University Class of 2025 rankings released July 31. He was tabbed as the 2024 Big Ten Men's Golfer of the Year and was also a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection last season, while collecting GCAA All-America third team honors. He competed in all 13 of the team's stroke play events last year and closed the season five hundredths of a point (two total strokes) behind Herendeen with the Illini's second-best stroke average of 70.92. Buchanan was runner-up at the Big Ten Championship after claiming medalist honors at a team-leading two events – the Purdue Fall Invitational and the Duck Invitational – during the regular season. Overall, Buchanan posted a team-most eight top-10 finishes. He tied for the team lead with 12 sub-70 rounds on the year and ranked second on the squad with 20 rounds of par or better.
Over the summer, Buchanan competed in the U.S. Open and at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic, in addition to his appearance on the Korn Ferry Tour at the Memorial Health Championship and a run to the semifinal round of match play at the U.S. Amateur.
As a true freshman last season, Herendeen became just the fourth freshman in Illinois history to earn All-America honors from the GCAA (second team), and the first to be named to the second team or better. He played in every event in the Fighting Illini lineup and opened the year with a runner-up finish (via playoff for medalist honors) at the Sahalee Players Championship in his collegiate debut. He closed his first season of collegiate golf in spectacular fashion, winning the NCAA Stanford Regional for the first victory of his collegiate career, then placing second by one shot in stroke play at the NCAA Championship. He led the team with a stroke average of 70.87, the 10th-best single-season mark in program history and the best average ever recorded by an Illini freshman, surpassing Adrien Dumont de Chassart's mark of 71.39 set by in 2018-19. Herendeen led the team with 10 tournaments as Illinois' No. 1 or No. 2 finisher and paced the Illini with top-20 finishes in 12 of 13 stroke play events. He ended the year with a team-most 24 rounds of par or better and tied for the team lead with 12 rounds in the 60s.
Herendeen's summer included top-10 finishes at the Sunnehanna Amateur (5th), the Washington State Amateur Championship (2nd), and the Western Amateur Championship (9th).
