Illini Secure Top-5 Finish in Premier Field at Southern Highlands

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The Fighting Illini men’s golf team closed out play at the Southern Highlands Collegiate on Tuesday by securing a fifth-place team finish behind top-25 individual performances from Tyler Goecke, Max Herendeen, and Jackson Buchanan.

“It was an up and down week with our play, but it was a big positive that after a tough stretch today, we showed some resolve on the back nine and finished off the tournament with some strength,” head coach Mike Small said. “We need to take this solid finish in a big tournament and use it to build momentum and continue to evolve into a good team.”

Goecke led the Illini with a T12 finish, narrowly missing his second consecutive top-10 by one stroke. The fifth-year senior was the only Illini to finish under par for the week, closing with an even-par 72 during Tuesday’s final round to shoot a 54-hole total of 215 (-1).

Freshman Max Herendeen and junior Jackson Buchanan both finished under par in Round 3 to ascend the leaderboard. Herendeen’s closing 71 (-1) moved him seven spots into a tie for 15^th with an even-par 216. Buchanan was among the day’s biggest movers with a 70 (-2) in Tuesday’s round, buoyed by three birdies over his final five holes, to slide up 22 spots into a tie for 21^st at 218 (+2).  

Sophomore Ryan Voois rounded out the scoring for the Illini with a closing 74 (+2) and tied for 34^th in the 84-player field with a three-round score of 220 (+4). Senior Piercen Hunt carded his lowest round of the tournament in Tuesday’s finale with a 76 (+4), and finished T77 with a 54-hole tally of 234 (+18).  

The Illini, ranked No. 16 in the latest GCAA Coaches poll and No. 20 in the NCAA Division I team rankings, entered the week as one of 13 teams in the 15-team field to come into the tournament inside the top 50 in the NCAA metric. The team’s fifth-place finish also secures strong head-to-head victories for the Orange and Blue over No. 1 North Carolina (7th), No. 4 Arizona State (14^th), No. 17 New Mexico (9th), No. 29 Georgia (T10th), No. 30 Texas A&M (T10th), No. 34 Missouri (8th), No. 35 San Diego State (6^th), No. 50 UNLV (13th), No. 64 TCU (15^th), and No. 70 Pepperdine (12th).  

No. 15 Oklahoma won at 8-under, followed by No. 2 Auburn at 5-under. The Illini finished one stroke behind defending national champion and 16^th-ranked Florida in fourth, and three…