University of Illinois
Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational
Herendeen, No. 12 Illini in Second Through 36 Holes at Fallen Oak
October 18, 2026 | Men's Golf
SAUCIER, Miss. – The 12th-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team carded a 1-over 289 on Sunday, led by matching 71s from senior Max Herendeen and junior Trey Marrion, to move up four spots into second place heading into Monday's final round at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational at Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort.
The Fighting Illini enter the final round of action at 6-over as a team and sit just three shots behind the pace of No. 1-ranked Arkansas (+3). No. 9 Tennessee, No. 20 Ohio State, and No. 30 Wake Forest are a three-way tie behind the Illini at 7-over to round out the top five in the team race with 18 holes to play.
Herendeen (-3), the nation's No. 5-ranked golfer entering the weekend, continues to lead the Orange and Blue and sits alone in second place, just one shot behind 36-hole leader Daniel Hayes (-4) of LSU. Herendeen followed Saturday's opening 70 (-2) with a 1-under 71 on Sunday and is the only player in the field to shoot under par in each of the first two rounds. He enters Monday in search of his third consecutive top-five at Fallen Oak after a T4 finish on the track in 2024 and a T2 last season. So far this fall, Herendeen owns a third-place finish at Sahalee, and a share of the individual title at Olympia Fields – the fifth win of his career – plus a T15 at the Fighting Irish Classic.
Marrion's 71 (-1) on Sunday vaulted him 12 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 14th at 1-over. He is looking for his second top-20 finish of the fall following a T19 last month at Olympia Fields.
Junior Freddie Turnell (+4) is tied for 29th with 18 holes remaining but did not factor into the Illini's team score in Round 2 after posting a 75 (+3).
Freshman Harrison Zipfel – playing in his first career tournament in the Illini lineup – and senior Dane Huddleston posted the final two counting scores for the Illini on Sunday. Zipfel carded a 73 (+1), shaving four strokes off his Round 1 tally. Huddleston posted a 74 (+2), improving by two shots on Day 2. They sit in a tie for 41st with three other golfers at 6-over.
Junior Jake Birdwell, competing as an individual, is alone in 71st in the 84-player field at 11-over after carding rounds of 78 and 77.
Monday's finale is set to begin with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. CT. The Fighting Illini will be among the last groups to go off of No. 1, teeing off alongside No. 1 Arkansas and No. 30 Wake Forest starting at 10:10 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available via Clippd Scoreboard.
| PLACE | FALLEN OAK COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL | RD1 | RD2 | RD3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Illinois | 293 | 289 | 582 (+6) | |
| 2 | Max Herendeen | 70 | 71 | 141 (-3) | |
| T14 | Trey Marrion | 74 | 71 | 145 (+1) | |
| T29 | Freddie Turnell | 73 | 75 | 145 (+4) | |
| T41 | Harrison Zipfel | 77 | 73 | 150 (+6) | |
| T41 | Dane Huddleston | 76 | 74 | 150 (+6) | |
| 71 | Jake Birdwell (Ind.) | 78 | 77 | 155 (+11) |
