No. 9 Illinois men’s golf is once again hosting the OFFC/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club this weekend. Following a runner-up finish at the season-opening Folds of Honor Collegiate, the Illini return to home soil in search of their first victory of the season.
The Illini have captured the team title at the Invitational a record three times before. Illinois will deploy a veteran lineup this weekend, as four of the five projected team starters have played in the event before.
Senior Jackson Buchanan leads the Illini and will make his fourth appearance at the Invitational. While he has never finished in the top 10, Buchanan has improved his finishing placement each year. If that theme stays true, Buchanan will likely find himself cracking the elusive top of the standings.
Junior Ryan Voois and sophomores Max Herendeen and Ethan Wilson are all making their second start at Olympia Fields. Herendeen tied for 13th in his first event. Wilson appeared in it for his collegiate debut last year and performed well. He posted a tied for 37th finish as an individual competitor, but Voois struggled, and tied for 60th last year.
Standout freshman Trey Marrion will also be in the lineup once again. Marrion is coming off a stellar top-10 finish in his first collegiate event at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. Freshmen Jake Birdwell and Joseph Buttress are also slated to appear for the Illini, both making their collegiate debuts as individual competitors.
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The weekend field is stacked with ranked opponents. The Illini will compete against No. 2 Arizona State, No. 3 Florida State, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 8 Texas, No. 10 Florida, No. 11 Georgia Tech, No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 16 Alabama, No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 20 Oklahoma State, No. 23 Stanford, Northwestern and Michigan.
Eleven of the 14 teams competing have captured the team title at the Invitational in the past. North Carolina (2021 and 2023), Stanford (2011 and 2022) and Oklahoma State (2007 and 2018) have won multiple event championships.
The tournament will be played on the North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club, located in the south suburbs of Chicago. The demanding course will feature a Par 70, 7,353-yard layout.
The 54-hole tournament will be played over three days, with 18 holes slated for each day of competition. Tee times on Friday and Saturday begin at 8 a.m. CT. Sunday’s final round tee times are set for 7:30 a.m. CT.
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