SAUCIER, Miss. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team carded an opening score of 284 (-4) on Saturday at Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort and is in seventh place as a team, led by junior Max Herendeen's top-10 tally of 69 (-3) in Round 1.
Illinois, ranked 18th in the first NCAA DI men's college golf rankings and No. 8 in the most recent GCAA coaches poll, is 11 shots off the lead held by No. 9 LSU (-15), and just two shots outside of the fifth place held by No. 5 Arkansas (-6) with 36 holes to play. Co-host and seventh-ranked Ole Miss (-10) is second, followed by No. 20 Alabama (-9) and No. 36 Georgia (-7) in third and fourth, respectively.
Herendeen recorded a team-most four birdies and an eagle to overcome three bogeys on the day. On four Par 5s, Herendeen posted three birdies and an eagle to record the best scoring average in the field by a half stroke (3.75 to 4.25), and a full stroke better than the field average (4.75). He is three strokes behind Round 1 leader, LSU's Gunnlaugur Arni Sveinsson (-6).
Junior Dane Huddleston joined Herendeen in the red after 18 holes with a 1-under 71 to sit in a tie for 20th. Sophomores Freddie Turnell and Trey Marrion, at even-par 72, rounded out the scoring for the Illini on Day 1, while senior Ryan Voois posted a 73 (+1) as the fifth member of the Orange and Blue lineup.
Freshman Dujuan Snyman, competing as an individual, also shot even-par on the day to sit in a tie with Turnell and Marrion on the player leaderboard.
Round 2 is set to begin with tee times off Holes 1 and 10 tomorrow starting at 9:30 a.m. CT. The Illini, paired with the Razorbacks and No. 19 Tennessee, will be a part of the first group of threesomes starting off No. 1. Live scoring is available on Clippd Scoreboard.
