LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 12 Fighting Illini men's golf team opened play against a strong field at the Southern Highlands Collegiate on Sunday and sit alone in fifth place, behind Trey Marrion in a tie for seventh, with 36 holes left to play.
Illinois jumped out to a fast start on the challenging track at Southern Highlands Golf Club and battled back-and-forth with No. 1 Virginia for the team lead as the Illini made the turn at 8-under as a team. But the Orange and Blue's five-man lineup combined to shoot +10 over the next three holes and fell back to the pack before getting back on track to close as one of just five teams to shoot under par on Day 1 with a team total of 287 (-1).
Marrion, a sophomore, carded a 69 (-3) and was key to the Illini's early-round surge with birdies on Nos. 2,3, 5, and 7. He moved to 5-under with another birdie on 10 before his only blemishes of the day – bogeys on 11 and 14 – and he closed out the round with four straight pars to sit in a seven-way tie for seventh place. Marrion is three shots behind Round 1 leader Paul Chang (-6) of Virginia.
Like Marrion, junior Dane Huddleston surged out to a 3-under start through five holes. He battled through bogeys on 9, 10 and 15 with another birdie on 13 and closed out his round at 71 (-1) in a tie for 20th.
Junior Max Herendeen and senior Ryan Voois rounded out the scoring for the Illini in Round 1. Herendeen posted a 73 (+1), one shot ahead of Voois at even-par, to sit in a tie for 32nd and 42nd, respectively.
Sophomore Freddie Turnell carded shot a 76 (+4) but did not factor into the Illini's Round 1 score. He is tied for 62nd heading into Round 2 on Monday.
Junior Ethan Wilson, competing as an individual, is tied for 53rd with a 3-over 75 on Sunday.
No. 1 Virginia is 11-under with a five-stroke lead after Round 1, followed by No. 2 Auburn (-6). No. 35 Washington and No. 3 Florida are 5-under in a tie for third. The Illini (-1) round out the top 5, one shot ahead of No. 8 Pepperdine and No. 29 Texas A&M at even-par.
Round 2 is set for Monday with tee times beginning at 11 a.m. CT/9 a.m. PT. The Illini, playing with Washington and Pepperdine, will tee off beginning at 11:50 a.m. CT/9:50 a.m. PT on Hole 1. Live scoring is available on Clippd Scoreboard.
