MOBILE, Ala. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team, No. 13 in the NCAA men's golf team rankings and No. 6 in the final fall Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches Poll, travels south to the Gulf Coast to open the spring schedule at the 2026 Hal Williams Collegiate. The two-day event is hosted by the University of South Alabama, and will be played Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 16-17.
THE SETTING
The Hal Williams Collegiate is held at the Magnolia Grove Golf Club's Crossings Course in Mobile, Ala. The course – part of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – has been rated as one of Golf World Magazine's "Top 50 Public Courses." It features a Par-71 layout that stretches 7,148 yards.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be played over two days with 36 holes set for Monday, followed by the final 18 on Tuesday. Each day is scheduled to begin with a shotgun start with Monday opening at 8 a.m. CT and Tuesday set to start at 8:30 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The tournament field features 14 programs highlighted by seven ranked inside the top 100 of the NCAA team rankings: Illinois (13), Rice (53), host South Alabama (57), Memphis (58), Southern Miss (65), Nebraska (67), Southern Illinois (87), Texas State (118), Eastern Michigan (120), Kent State (127), UAB (129), Abilene Christian (154), Louisiana Tech (170), and Davidson (271).
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Max Herendeen
No. 2: Trey Marrion
No. 3: Dane Huddleston
No. 4: Ryan Voois
No. 5: Freddie Turnell
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Individual: Dujuan Snyman
Individual: Jake Birdwell
Individual: Ethan Wilson
ILLINI AT THE HAL WILLIAMS COLLEGAITE OAK COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
The Fighting Illini return to compete in the Hal Williams Collegiate – formerly known as the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate – for the eighth time overall, and the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The Orange and Blue played in the event every year from 2019-20 through 2023-24, capturing the team title 2021, 2023, and 2024, while placing second in 2020 and third in 2022. Illinois also played in the tournament in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, finishing fourth and third, respectively.
In the Illini's 2021 victory, the team recorded a tournament-record score of 827 (-37), behind a record individual performance from Michael Feagles who shot a 200 (-16) to earn medalist honors.
In 2023, all five members of the Illini lineup finished inside the top 12, led by a runner-up finish from Tommy Kuhl who posted his career-best 54-hole tally of 203 (-10). The team shot a 36-under 816 to won by 13 strokes over Arkansas.
The following season, the Illini defended their title by holding of a hard charge by LSU for the three-stroke victory with a team score of 827 (-25). All five members of the Illini lineup finished inside the top 17. Piercen Hunt, competing as an individual, finished in third place with 205 (-8).
Three current members of the Illini roster have combined to play in the event four times in their Illini careers. As a sophomore in 2023, Ryan Voois teed off as an individual and finished in a tie for 63rd. The next year, Voois was the top finisher among members of the Illini's scoring lineup in a tie for fourth. Then-freshmen Max Herendeen and Ethan Wilson (as an indy) finished tied for 17th and tied for 41st, respectively, in the Illini's 2024 victory.
Trey Marrion, Dane Huddleston, and Freddie Turnell will all play in the event for the first time in the Illini lineup this week. Jake Birdwell and Dujuan Snyman will also make their debuts at the event as individual competitors.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Hal Williams Collegiate will be available on Scoreboard powered by Clippd. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
UP NEXT
The Illini return to the course, March 1-3, with a tough test at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, in Las Vegas, Nev. The event, hosted by UNLV, annually draws a strong field of championship-caliber programs to test themselves on a challenging desert track. Illinois has played in the event each of the previous four seasons including a thrilling win in 2023, rallying from 10 shots down in the final round to come away with the team title.
