SAUCIER, Miss. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team, No. 18 in the first NCAA men's golf team rankings and No. 8 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, travels south to the Gulf Coast to compete in the 3rd Annual Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, Saturday-Monday.
The Illini enter the event – co-hosted by Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss – after closing out a runner-up team finish on Tuesday at the Moraine Intercollegiate, their third top-five finish in as many tournaments this fall.
THE SETTING
The 3rd Annual Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational will be contested on the Par-72, 7,487-yard Fallen Oak Course at Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort. Recognized as the top course in the state of Mississippi, Fallen Oak was designed by legendary course architect Tom Fazio. It features an 18-hole, par-72 championship layout and is nestled among the De Soto National Forest in Saucier, Miss, approximately 15 miles north of Biloxi.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over three days with 18 holes set for Saturday-Monday. Rounds 1 and 2 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, will begin with tee times at 9:30 a.m. CT. Monday's finale will tee off beginning at 8 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The tournament field features 14 programs vying for the title, highlighted by eight teams ranked inside the top 60 of the NCAA men's golf team ranking released Wednesday. The No. 18 Illini are joined by eight highly ranked SEC opponents: Arkansas (5), co-host Ole Miss (7), LSU (9), Tennessee (19), Alabama (20), Georgia (36), South Carolina (38), and co-host Mississippi State (55). The field includes three other top-100 squads in UNLV (69), co-host Southern Miss, and Iowa (80), plus Chattanooga (95) and Wisconsin (154).
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Freddie Turnell
No. 2: Ryan Voois
No. 3: Max Herendeen
No. 4: Trey Marrion
No. 5: Dane Huddleston
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Individual: Dujuan Snyman
ILLINI AT THE FALLEN OAK COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Live scoring for the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational will be available on Scoreboard powered by Clippd. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini are scheduled to return to competition when the spring schedule officially opens, Feb. 16-17, at the Hal Williams Collegiate hosted in Mobile, Ala.
INDYS AT FLYER INVITATIONAL
Fighting Illini junior Ethan Wilson and sophomore Jake Birdwell will also play as individual competitors at the Flyer Invitational, hosted by Dayton on Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 20-21 at NCR Country Club's South Course in Kettering, Ohio.
Illinois played in the event as a team in 2023, finishing second. Wilson, and teammate Timmy Crawford competed as individuals, with Crawford taking home medalist honors and Wilson finishing T11 highlighted by a career-low score of 65 (-6) in Round 2.
Live scoring is available on Clippd Scoreboard.
