The Illinois men’s golf team finished strong in second place in the Big Ten championship this past Sunday, April 28.
The team traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to compete at Scioto Country Club this year. This coveted course is 18 holes and took talent and calculated play from all the golfers.
The Big Ten tournament contained a 14-team field, with the Illini ending just out of reach of their ninth consecutive title, placing second behind Northwestern by 15 strokes. The Illini concluded the tournament with 878, behind Northwestern at 863 and ahead of Purdue at 886.
“Today was representative of the whole week,” said head coach Mike Small to Illinois Athletics. “Hats off to Northwestern. They controlled the narrative and energy from Day 1. Nobody else played to that level. They had four guys finish in the top 10; that’s just bringing it, and that’s what winners do at this tournament — it has to be a total team effort.”
Illinois’ lineup was led by junior Jackson Buchanan, who earned All-Big Ten championship honors for the second time. Buchanan, tallying a 212 (+2) for the tournament, fell just short of Northwestern’s star leader this tournament, sophomore Daniel Svärd, who scored 211, only 1-over par for the weekend.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Freshman Max Herendeen has been dependable this season and finished in a tie for 16th overall. His 223 (+13) came in second behind Buchanan out of all Illinois golfers in the tournament.
Sophomore Ryan Voois also continued to perform well. At this year’s Fighting Illini Spring Collegiate, Voois obtained his first collegiate victory right before the conference tournament. This weekend, Voois finished in a tie for 26th place, with a 226 (+16) being his three-round total.
Finally, senior Piercen Hunt, one of the only two Illinois players to have experience at the Big Ten tournament this season, ranked third out of the Illinois players this tournament and tied for 19th overall with 225 (+15).
“They were better from tee to green, better around the greens and it was just a pretty decisive win; we didn’t have an answer for that,” Small said. “Today was the same as the other two days. We had some good stretches, some good spots — maybe more good spots today — but we still played some loose golf that you shouldn’t have this time of year.”
It is not quite the end to the 2024 men’s golf season; they’ll get another chance to be more aggressive and decisive like Small desires at the NCAA Tournament, held in various locations. The Regionals are projected to be May 13-15, during which Illinois will compete for its 16th consecutive season.
@mattisonleskis
