After opening the spring season with a dominant team victory, the Illini have another opportunity to repeat as champions in Las Vegas. The Illini will look to not only repeat in back-to-back spring tournaments but also repeat as Southern Highlands Collegiate champions.
Illinois has a memorable history at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, finishing in the top 10 each year they have been in the tournament and earning a massive win last spring.
In last year’s victory, the Illini rallied from being 10 shots down over the final round to secure the team title at the Southern Highlands Golf Club. Illinois steadily improved throughout last year’s tournament, posting a 285-281-277 total team scorecard, good enough for a 21-under total — two strokes better than Texas.
While Illinois does not have any returning golfers who finished in the top 20 of last year’s tournament, they are playing some of the best golf they have ever played as a team. Illinois had a staggering seven golfers finishing in the top 20 in the Hal Williams Collegiate, which was by far the most in the field.
One name to look out for this week is senior Piercen Hunt, who finished third in the individual standings in their last outing. Posting a dominant 8-under performance over three rounds, Hunt was vital in the team’s win, and the Illini will need every bit of his excellence in Vegas.
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While not stellar, Hunt finished T-28 in last year’s Southern Highlands Collegiate, the best out of all returning Illinois men’s golfers who played in last year’s tournament. Junior Jackson Buchanan posted a scorecard of 221 (+5), which was good enough for T-62 in 2023.
The Southern Highlands Collegiate tournament will feature a stacked field of 15 of the nation’s top programs, including 13 top-50 programs, according to the NCAA Division 1 team rankings.
No. 20 Illinois will compete with the likes of No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 16 Florida, No. 17 New Mexico, No. 22 Texas, No. 29 Georgia, No. 30 Texas A&M, No 34 Missouri, No. 35 San Diego State, No. 50 UNLV, No. 64 TCU and No. 70 Pepperdine.
The 54-hole tournament will be a five-count-four format with 18 holes slated for each day of the three-day competition. The course will be playing as a par-72, spanning 7,510 yards.
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