Illinois’ Herendeen Named to Inaugural U.S. Elite Amateur Program

LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. – University of Illinois golfer Max Herendeen has been tabbed as one of nine top collegiate players – three men and six women – named to the inaugural U.S. Elite Amateur Program roster for 2025, the USGA announced.

A sophomore who earned second team PING All-America honors and a spot on the GCAA All-Freshman Team last season, Herendeen is joined on the men’s side fellow college sophomores Jackson Koivun (Auburn) and Jacob Modleski (Notre Date).

Herendeen was tabbed as the 2023-24 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection, and closed out his first season at Illinois by winning the NCAA Stanford Regional, followed by a runner-up finish in stroke play at the NCAA Championship.

This season, the Bellevue, Wash., native has posted top-20 finishes in all four the Illini’s fall events, including a ninth-place finish in the season opener at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, and a tie for fourth in the final event of the fall slate at the Fallen Oaks Collegiate Invitational.

The Elite Amateur program is designed to complement the athletes’ college programs, providing tailored support that bridges gaps and enhances their competitive edge. It is the second of three teams to be launched as part of the U.S. National Development Program launched in 2023, along with the U.S. National Junior Team, now in its second year, and the Young Professional Team, set to begin in 2026.  

The USNDP rosters are compiled and reevaluated annually by a selection committee, and eligibility criteria include nationality, age, amateur status, conduct, education and graduation year and participation on other national teams.

Herendeen and the Illini unofficially open the spring portion of their season this Saturday in a match-play exhibition vs. Florida State at Camp Creek Golf Course in Inlet Beach, Fla., before teeing off the second half of the schedule in earnest Feb. 13-15 in Hawai’i at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate.