New year, same result — No. 20 Illinois men’s golf dominated yet again in the Hal Williams Collegiate tournament in Mobile, Alabama. The Illini opened their spring with a statement victory for the second straight year.
Following a 2023 campaign that saw Illinois win this same tournament by 13 strokes, the team nearly replicated last year’s performance. Illinois only finished with a three-stroke advantage over LSU but was atop the leaderboard from beginning to end, defending its title as Hal Williams Collegiate tournament champions.
The team shot an impressive 278-274-275 split over three rounds of par-71 golf. A stroke total of 827 was good enough for a -25 team score, holding off a late surge by the Tigers, who finished with a stroke total of 830.
Senior Piercen Hunt led the Illini, posting a 68-65-72 (-8) scorecard over three rounds, good enough for third in the individual standings. Hunt’s brilliance from last year’s event, where he posted a 4-under finish, was outshadowed by his near-perfect tournament this year.
Hunt has proved to be a big-time golfer when the spring season rolls around. In 2023, Hunt was named to the All-Big Ten second team and looks to add more to his resume, with his play peaking in potentially his last spring as a college golfer.
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Illinois had seven golfers finish in the top 20 of the individual standings, by far the most among the field. Sophomore Ryan Voois (T-4), junior Jackson Buchanan (8), fifth-year seniors Tyler Goecke and Timmy Crawford (T-11), freshman Max Herendeen (T-17) and fifth-year senior Jerry Ji (T-17) joined Hunt in the top 20.
With play being paused in the middle of round two, Illinois sat atop the leaderboard with a three-stroke advantage over VCU. Despite the potential momentum-shifting pause, the Illini didn’t look back, holding the lead for the rest of the tournament as play resumed Tuesday morning.
The Illini had a solid first round, shooting a team total of 278 (-6), but their big serge came in round two, where they shot a staggering 274 (-10) to hold an even stronger lead. Illinois didn’t have a fantastic final round but did just enough to keep its three-stroke lead and win the tournament.
The back-to-back Hal Williams Collegiate champions played great team golf, with three different golfers posting team-best rounds. A compliment of Crawford’s 67 (-4) in round one, followed by a team-best 65 (-6) from Hunt in round two and rounded off by Voois posting a 67 (-4) in the final round, led to a successful title defense.
Illinois returns to the course on Feb. 25, where it will be tested at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. Illinois won the 2023 Southern Highlands Collegiate, rallying from 10 shots down in the final round to come away with the win, which means another possible opportunity for the Illini to repeat as champions.
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