PAUMA VALLEY, Calif. – The Illinois men's golf team, ranked No. 9 nationally in the NCAA Division I team rankings and No. 8 in the GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll, travels to Southern California this week to compete against an elite field at the third annual Pauma Valley Invitational.
The three-day event, hosted by Loyola Marymount, will be played Monday-Wednesday, March 16-18, at Pauma Valley Country Club, located approximately 35 miles east of the site of the NCAA Championship at OMNI La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.
THE SETTING
The Pauma Valley Invitational is hosted at Pauma Valley Country Club in Pauma Valley, Calif., northeast of San Diego, Calif., and approximately 120 miles southeast of LMU's campus in Los Angeles. The course is Robert Trent Jones, Sr.'s first designed in California and features a classic layout with intricate greens surrounded by the beautiful scenery of Pauma Valley. The course Par 71, 7,311-yard course has been listed as a top 100 club in the U.S. and a top 10 club in California by Golf Digest.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be a five-count-four format played over three days. Each round is set to begin with tee times off Holes 1 and 10 beginning at 10 a.m. CT/8 a.m. PT. Teams will play in groups of four.
THE FIELD
The Pauma Valley Invitational field includes 17 of the nation's top programs vying for the title, with 13 team's ranked inside the top 60 of the latest NCAA Division I team rankings. The field is highlighted by six of the nation's top 10 teams and nine of the top 20. Playing alongside the Illini are No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 20 Georgia Tech, No. 28 San Diego State, No. 42 San Diego, No. 56 SMU, and No. 60 LMU. East Tennessee State (87), Princeton (93), Colorado State (116), and Toledo (152) round out the field.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Trey Marrion
No. 2: Dane Huddleston
No. 3: Ryan Voois
No. 4: Freddie Turnell
No. 5: Max Herendeen
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Individual: Ethan Wilson
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Pauma Valley Invitational Collegiate will be available on Clippd Scoreboard. A Recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
ILLINI AT THE PAUMA VALLEY INVITATIONAL
This is the second straight year that Illinois will compete in the Pauma Valley Invitational. Last year, the Orange and Blue finished fourth behind a pair of top-15 scores from then-senior Jackson Buchanan (5-under 208) and Ryan Voois (3-under 210), who finished T7 and T13, respectively.
Trey Marrion and Max Herendeen tied for 27th, carding 214 (+1). Ethan Wilson posted a 220 (+7) to tie for 50th.
Illini newcomers Dane Huddleston and Freddie Turnell will play in the event for the first time.
UP NEXT
The Fighting Illini will return to the course, March 23-24, at the Duck Invitational, hosted by Big Ten foe Oregon at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
