GRAND HAVEN, Mich. – The ninth-ranked Fighting Illini men’s golf team shot the lowest team score in Round 2 of the Folds of Honor Collegiate on Tuesday, a 6-under 278, to nearly erase No. 16 Alabama’s 11-shot lead and pull within one stroke of the Crimson Tide heading into Wednesday’s finale at American Dunes Golf Club.
Max Herendeen led the way for the Illini in Round 2, posting the second-lowest individual round of the day with a 4-under 67. Herendeen’s performance helped the sophomore climb 13 spots up the leaderboard and into a tie with teammate Jackson Buchanan for fifth place.
Buchanan carded his second straight round of 1-under 70, and the duo sits in a five-way tie at 140 (-2), five shots off the pace of individual 36-hole leader Dominic Clemons of Alabama (-7).
Freshman Trey Marrion, making his debut for the Illini this week, is just one shot behind Herendeen and Buchanan in a tie for 10th place at 141 (-1). Marrion followed his opening 71 with a 1-under 70 in Round 2, the first under-par round of his collegiate career.
Ethan Wilson is 3-over through 36 holes, gives the Fighting Illini four golfers inside the top 20. The sophomore shaved three strokes off his Round 1 score, carding an even-par 71 to jump seven spots up the leaderboard as the Illini’s fourth scorer in the round. Wilson is tied for 20th at 145 (+3), three shots ahead of junior Ryan Voois in a tie for 33rd with a two-round tally of 148 (+6).
Alabama (-5) and Illinois (-4) are the only two teams under par through the first two rounds of action. Defending champion Notre Dame is 2-over, followed by co-host Michigan State (+3) and eighth-ranked Texas (+5) to round out the top five in the team standings.
Wednesday’s final round of the Folds of Honor Collegiate is set to tee off beginning at 11 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. Golf Channel coverage also resumes in Round 3 beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT.
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