University of Illinois
OFCC / Fighting Illini Invitational
No. 12 Illini Host Elite Field at 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational
September 17, 2026 | Men's Golf
PREVIEW
| No. 12 Illinois at 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational | |
|---|---|
| Tournament | OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational |
| Date | Sept. 18-20 |
| Location | Olympia Fields, Ill. |
| Course | Olympia Fields Country Club - South Course (Par 70 / 7,215 Yards) |
| Live Scoring | Clippd Scoreboard |
| Illinois | Roster | Schedule |
| Shop | Fighting Illini Store |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – The No. 12-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team, coming off a top-five team finish to open the season at the Sahalee Players Championship, continues action this weekend as the host team for the 20th annual OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club, Friday-Saturday.
THE SETTING
The 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational will be contested, for the first time, on the South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club, while the historic North Course readies for restoration. The South Course will feature a Par 70, 7,215-yard layout.
Over the years, the famed club has been home to several premier events, having hosted the U.S. Amateur (2015), two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003), two PGA Championships (1925, 1961), a U.S. Senior Open (1997), plus five Western Opens (1920, 1927, 1933, 1968, 1971) and the BMW Championship in 2020 and 2023.
The South Course - formerly the club's No. 1 Course - was designed in 1915 by Tom Bendelow of Aberdeen, Scotland whose more than 700 courses include such classics as The Apawamis Club and Medinah No. 3. The South was renovated in 2007 by Steve Smyers, and was most recently renovated and restored by Andy Staples in 2023. Notable championships held on the South Course include the 2011 US Girls Junior Championship, the 2012 Junior Ryder Cup, and stroke play for the 2015 US Amateur Championship. The South Course is ranked #157 in the United States on Golfweek's 2026 list of the "Best Classic Courses."
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 54-hole tournament was originally scheduled for three days of competition. However, due to forecasted rain, the event will begin Friday with 36 holes of continuous play starting at 7:30 a.m. CT, before finishing up with Round 3 on Saturday.
THE FIELD
The 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational once again features one of college golf's premier fields. The competition will feature 12 programs ranked inside the GCAA's Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches' Poll. Joining the No. 12 Fighting Illini are No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Oklahoma State, No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Texas Tech, No. 9 LSU, No. 13 Pepperdine, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 18 Alabama, No. 19 Stanford, No. 20 Florida State, and No. 25 Georgia Tech, plus Baylor, Big Ten foe Northwestern, and UNLV.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Max Herendeen
No. 2: Dane Huddleston
No. 3: Trey Marrion
No. 4: Freddie Turnell
No. 5: Jake Birdwell
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Individual: Ethan Wilson
Individual: Dujuan Snyman
Individual: Le Khanh Hung
Individual: Harrison Zipfel
PRESEASON HONORS
Senior Max Herendeen garnered preseason All-America honors leading up to the 2026-27 season. Herendeen was tabbed as a second team honoree by Golf Channel and third team by Golfweek, while also being named to the Haskins Award preseason watch list. Fellow senior Dane Huddleston, and junior Trey Marrion also joined Herendeen on the Big Ten's Golfer's to Watch list.
ILLINI AT THE OFCC/FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL
The Orange and Blue have taken home the team title at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational three times (2008, 2014 and 2016), tied with Oklahoma State for the tournament record. Two Illini golfers have also captured medalist honors in the event, with Zach Barlow and Dylan Meyer each tying for top honors in 2008 and 2014, respectively.
All five members of the Illini lineup, and two of the team's four individual competitors, have previously played in the event, led by seniors Max Herendeen and Ethan Wilson, who will each tee off at Olympia Fields for the fourth time.
Herendeen tied for 13th in his first action at OFCC as a member of the Illini lineup in 2023 and added another top-20 finish with a T17 performance in 2024. Last year, Herendeen finished fifth with a 3-under 207. Wilson posted a T37 finish as an individual competitor in his collegiate debut in 2023. He played in the Orange and Blue lineup in 2024 and 2025, finishing T69 and T71, respectively.
Juniors Trey Marrion and Jake Birdwell will also compete in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational for the third straight year. Marrion shot 5-over to finish T37 as a member of the Illinois lineup in 2024 and captured a T19 finish at 211 (+1) in 2025. Birdwell cracks the lineup at OFCC for the first time in his career after previously finishing T60 (2024) and T66 (2025) as an individual competitor.
Senior Dane Huddleston, junior Freddie Turnell, and sophomore Dujuan Snyman will each play in the event for a second time. Huddleston tied for 19th in his Illini debut last year. Turnell will play in the Illinois lineup after a T39 finish as an individual in his first appearance at OFCC last season. Snyman tees off as an indy for the second straight year. Last year, in his collegiate debut, he finished T42 at 217 (+7).
Freshmen Le Khanh Hung and Harrison Zipfel will make their collegiate debuts.
MORE OFCC/FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL HISTORY
Fourteen of the 15 teams in the 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational have previously competed in the event, including 10 teams that have combined to win 16 of the previous 19 team titles. Illinois (2016, 2014, 2008) and defending champions Oklahoma State (2025, 2018, 2007) have each won the event a record three times. Georgia Tech (2024, 2019-co) and Stanford (2011 and 2022) have also won multiple OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational crowns. Other 2026 participants to have previously won the event are: Arizona State (2009), Florida (2010), Alabama (2013), Florida State (2015), Texas A&M (2017), and Baylor (2019-co).
Stanford has produced a tournament-record six medalist finishes from four golfers: Patrick Rodgers (2011 and 2012), Cameron Wilson (2013-co), Maverick McNealy (2014-co and 2015), and Michael Thorbjornsen (2022). Oklahoma State golfers have taken home four individual titles: Rickie Fowler (2007), Trent Whitekiller (2009-co), Peter Uihlein (2010), and Matthew Wolff (2018). Arizona State (Niklas Lemke, 2006; Jose Luis Ballester, 2024) and Alabama (Robby Shelton, 2013-co; Davis Riley, 2017) are tied with Illinois with two medalists each. Other past medalists from programs participating in the 2026 event are: Texas A&M's Cameron Champ (2016), Baylor's Cooper Dossey (2019), Georgia Tech's Christo Lamprecht (2023), and defending champ Tim Wiedemeyer (2025) from Texas Tech.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational will be available on Clippd Scoreboard. A Recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
UP NEXT
Following play at Olympia Fields, Illinois will be back in action Oct. 4-5 in Notre Dame, Indiana, for the Fighting Irish Classic at Warren Golf Course. It marks the Illini's first time in the field at the Fighting Irish Classic since claiming the team title in 2018.
