University of Illinois
Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational
No. 12 Illini Close Fall Schedule at Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational
October 16, 2026 | Men's Golf
PREVIEW
| No. 12 Illinois at Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational | |
|---|---|
| Tournament | Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational |
| Date | Oct. 17-19 |
| Location | Saucier, Miss. |
| Course | Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort - Fallen Oak Course (Par 72 / 7,487 Yards) |
| Live Scoring | Scoreboard |
| Illinois | Roster | Schedule | Season Stats |
| Shop | Fighting Illini Store |
| Social Media | X | Instagram | Facebook |
SAUCIER, Miss. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team, No. 12 in the first NCAA men's golf team rankings and No. 11 in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, travels south to the Gulf Coast to compete in the fourth annual Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, Saturday-Monday.
The Illini enter the event – co-hosted by Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss – coming off a sixth-place finish, Oct. 4-5, at the Fighting Irish Classic. The Illini have also finished fourth at the Sahalee Players Championship and second at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational this fall.
THE SETTING
The fourth 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 15 programs vying for the title, highlighted by 11 teams ranked inside the top 50 of the NCAA men's golf team ranking released Wednesday. The No. 12 Illini are joined by eight highly ranked SEC opponents: Arkansas (1), Alabama (4), Tennessee (9), Georgia (14), co-host Mississippi State (34), LSU (36), co-host Ole Miss (37), and South Carolina (46). The field also includes three Big Ten foes in Ohio State (20), Iowa (58) and Wisconsin (95). ACC competitors Wake Forest (30) and Florida State (67) round out the field alongside co-host Southern Miss (57).
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Max Herendeen
No. 2: Freddie Turnell
No. 3: Trey Marrion
No. 4: Dane Huddleston
No. 5: Harrison Zipfel
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Individual: Jake Birdwell
ILLINI AT THE FALLEN OAK COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Illinois will compete in the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational for the third consecutive season in 2026. In 2024, the Orange and Blue placed second as a team behind a medalist finish from former Illini Jackson Buchanan.
Last season, Max Herendeen finished T2 and the team placed third. Herendeen tied for fourth as a sophomore in 2024. Trey Marrion also owns a pair of top-10s in the event, tying for ninth in 2024 and seventh in 2025. Dane Huddleston and Freddie Turnell finished T9 and T34, respectively, in 2025.
Freshman Harrison Zipfel is slated to make his debut in the Fighting Illini scoring lineup after playing as an individual competitor at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational and the Purdue Fall Invitational. Through six rounds, Zipfel ranks first on the team with a scoring average of 68.8. He tied for 23rd at Olympia Fields before a runner-up finish last weekend in West Lafayette.
LIVE SCORING
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 open the spring schedule, Feb. 15-16, when the Orange and Blue return to the Gulf Coast to defend their team title at the 2027 Hal Williams Collegiate at RTJ Magnolia Grove's Crossings Course in Mobile, Alabama. It marks the ninth time that Illinois will tee off in the event, formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. Illinois won in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2026. Last year, former Illini Ryan Voois also captured medalist honors.
