AUGUSTA, Ga. – Fresh off winning the title at the Duck Invitational, the Illinois men's golf team – No. 10 nationally in both the NCAA Division I team rankings and the GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll – tees off this weekend at the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational. The event is co-hosted by the Augusta Golf Association and the Haskins Foundation at Augusta University's Forest Hills Golf Club and takes place April 4-5, concluding on the eve of Masters week.
THE SETTING
The Augusta Haskins Award Invitational is hosted at the Augusta Jaguars' home course, Forest Hills Golf Club, which features a par-72, 7,086-yard layout. The 18-hole course, rich in college golf history, was originally designed by world renowned course architect Donald Ross, and was renovated by the Arnold Palmer Company in 2004. Forest Hills is repeatedly named "Best Public Course" by Augusta Magazine and offers traditional Southern topography with level, rolling fairways surrounded by magnificent trees.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament will be a five-count-four format played over two days, with 36 holes slated for Saturday, followed by Sunday's final round. Saturday begins with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT. Sunday's finale begins with tee times off Holes 1 and 10 starting at 8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. CT.
THE FIELD
The Augusta Haskins Award Invitational features a 16-team field highlighted by some of the premier golf programs in the nation. The Illini, No. 10 in the latest NCAA Division I team rankings, are one of eight top-40 teams in the field, along with LSU (4), Oklahoma State (5), Pepperdine (13), North Carolina (16), Georgia (23), Notre Dame (26), and Northwestern (39). Georgia Southern (53), Houston (58), and Oregon State (61) all rank in the top 70, followed by Virginia Tech (114), host Augusta (122), Mercer (148), St. John's (178), and Air Force (254) to complete the field.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Max Herendeen
No. 2: Freddie Turnell
No. 3: Ryan Voois
No. 4: Dane Huddleston
No. 5: Jake Birdwell
ILLINI AT THE AUGUSTA HASKINS AWARD INVITATIONAL
The Fighting Illini have competed in each of the last 15 Augusta Haskins Award Invitational events dating back to 2010. The Orange and Blue have notched two team wins - in 2016 and 2018 - plus a pair of runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2023. Last year, the Orange and Blue finished third at the event. Former Illini Dylan Meyer captured medalist honors at the event in both 2017 and 2018, while Max Herendeen tied for first last year and dropped the playoff hole to UNC's David Ford.
Senior Ryan Voois will make his fourth appearance in the event. As a freshman in 2023 he shot 225 (+9) to finish T56, then posted a 214 (-2) to tie for 14th in 2024. Last year, he tied for 23rd with an even-par 216.
Herendeen, who is also coming off an individual title at the Duck Invitational, returns to August for the third time, and looks for his second straight win at the event. As a freshman, Herendeen finished T20 at 216 (E).
Junior Dane Huddleston, and sophomores Jake Birdwell and Freddie Turnell, will all make their debuts in the tournament.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational will be available on Clippd Scoreboard. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of competition.
UP NEXT
Following play in Augusta, the Orange and Blue close out the regular season at Indiana's Hoosier Collegiate, April 18-19, at The Pfau Course in Bloomington, Indiana.
