University of Illinois
Sahalee Players Championship
Herendeen Leads Illini to Top-5 Finish at Sahalee Players Championship
September 13, 2026 | Men's Golf
SAMMAMISH, Wash. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team opened the 2026-27 season with a top-five finish in a loaded field at the Sahalee Players Championship on Sunday afternoon at Sahalee Country Club.
Illinois, ranked No. 12 in the first GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll of the season, carded a three-round team score of 891 (+27) to finish alone in fourth place in the 12-team field.
The finish gives the Illini early-season head-to-head victories over five ranked foes - No. 4 Arizona State, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 13 Pepperdine, No. 14 UCLA, and No. 24 Arizona – and three other teams – Duke, Cal, and San Diego State – receiving top-25 votes.
No. 3 Oklahoma State (-4) ran away with the team title by 28 shots. Illinois entered Sunday's final round 11 shots behind the Cowboys' pace but were overtaken by No. 1 Florida (+24) and host Washington (+26) in Round 3.
Herendeen – a senior from nearby Bellevue, Wash., who claimed a share of the individual title at Sahalee in his collegiate debut to open the 2023-24 season – closed out the 10th top-three tournament finish of his collegiate career. The 36-hole leader, Herendeen posted rounds of 66 (-6) and 69 (-3) on Saturday but slid two spots down the leaderboard with a closing 78 (+6) to finish at 213 (-3) for the weekend. Medalist Finn Koelle of Washington and runner-up Eric Lee of Oklahoma State finished ahead of Herendeen at 209 (-7) and 211 (-5), respectively.
Dane Huddleston, another Pacific Northwest product from Woodland, Wash., tied for 17th with a three-round score of 223 (+7).
Junior Trey Marrion climbed 16 spots up the leaderboard with his closing round of 74 (+1) to finish at 12-over in a tie for 37th with classmate Freddie Turnell. Turnell's final 79 (+7) did not factor into the Illini's Round 3 score, however, as senior Ethan Wilson rounded out the scoring with a 78 to finish tied for 61st at 237 (+21).
Junior Jake Birdwell, competing as an individual, tied for 41st with a 54-hole total of 229 (+13).
Illinois now returns home to host another of the season's most prestigious collegiate events next weekend, Sept. 18-20, at Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill. The Fighting Illini will welcome 14 peers for the 20th annual OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational. This year, the tournament will be hosted on OFCC's Par-72, 7,114-yard South Course. The event annually offers a demanding but fair early-season test that attracts one of the best fields in collegiate golf. The competition will feature 12 programs ranked inside the top 25 of the GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll.
| PLACE | SAHALEE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP | RD1 | RD2 | RD3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Illinois | 290 | 297 | 304 | 891 (+27) |
| 3 | Max Herendeen | 66 | 69 | 78 | 213 (-3) |
| T17 | Dane Huddleston | 76 | 72 | 75 | 223 (+7) |
| T37 | Freddie Turnell | 73 | 76 | 79 | 228 (+12) |
| T37 | Trey Marrion | 75 | 80 | 73 | 228 (+12) |
| T41 | Jake Birdwell (Ind.) | 77 | 75 | 77 | 229 (+13) |
| T62 | Ethan Wilson | 78 | 81 | 78 | 237 (+21) |
