NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – The 12th-ranked Illinois men's golf team staged a resilient, final-round comeback effort but came up just short in its bid for the Big Ten Championship on Sunday as No. 33 UCLA held off the Illini's Sunday surge at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club's Witch Hollow Course.
Illinois entered the day in third place, 15 shots off UCLA's pace, after the Bruins blistering 11-under in Saturday's second round. The Orange and Blue opened strong and cut the deficit to seven strokes at the midway point of the round on the heels of Max Herendeen's eagle on No. 8 and birdie on No. 9. That capped a three-hole stretch – over Nos. 7, 8 and 9 – that saw the Fighting Illini shoot a combined seven-under-par.
The Illini's run continued on the back nine as Herendeen made a run at the individual title. Following Trey Marrion's birdies on No. 17 and 18 and Herendeen's birdie on 14, the Illini briefly pulled even atop the team leaderboard and Herendeen jumped to within one shot of the lead.
But just as the Illini had done on the front nine, the Bruins responded with a flurry of birdies over the final three holes to close out the win. The Illini posted a 9-under 271, the second-lowest round of the weekend behind UCLA's 11-under Round 2, to finish at 836 (-4), four strokes behind the Bruins who captured the team title for the second straight season.
"I told them after the round, I was very proud of them for what they did today," head coach Mike Small said. "That was awesome. That's what we've been looking for all year.
"But we also talked about the round yesterday. That is the reason why we were in this position. The way we competed today, the way we had that look on our face - and the determination today - you have to bring that every day."
Marrion turned in a phenomenal effort. Coming back from the illness that held him out of Saturday's round, he carded six birdies and just one bogey for a tournament-low round of 65 (-5).
"Trey was a horse today," Small added. "Unfortunately, Trey was sick yesterday, so we substituted. For him to come back with that determination was awesome; to go out and do that was special. He led the charge, and to not have a guy shoot over par was what we needed."
Senior Ryan Voois carded a 66 (-4), matching Marrion with five birdies, including a pair on Holes 16 and 18 that helped keep the Illini alive in the stretch run. The senior finished tied for third, alongside Herendeen, at 207 (-3). The duo earned All-Big Ten Championship Team honors.
Freddie Turnell (+1) tied for 14th, matching Herendeen and Dane Huddleston with closing rounds of even-par 70. Huddleston climbed 17 spots on Sunday to finish tied for 34th at 6-over.
Up Next
The Fighting Illini now turn their attention to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, with regional selections set to be announced Wednesday, May 6, at 1 p.m. CT on Golf Channel. Illinois will compete at a regional for the 18th consecutive season and the 21st time under Small's guidance. This year's selection will mark the Illini's 24th since 1989.
NCAA Regionals are slated for May 18-20 at six sites: Athens, Georgia (University of Georgia - University of Georgia Golf Course); Bermuda Run, North Carolina ( Wake Forest University - Bermuda Run Country Club); Bryan, Texas (Texas A&M University - Traditions Club); Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State University - OSU Golf Club); Corvallis, Oregon (Oregon State University - Trysting Tree Golf Club); and Marana Arizona (University of Arizona - The Gallery Golf Club).
