University of Illinois
OFCC / Fighting Illini Invitational
Herendeen Shares Win, No. 12 Illini Finish Second at Olympia Fields
September 19, 2026 | Men's Golf
OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – Senior Max Herendeen recorded the fifth victory of his collegiate career on Saturday, leading the No. 12-ranked Fighting Illini men's golf team to a second-place showing against an elite field at the 20th OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational at rainy Olympia Fields Country Club.
Herendeen became the third Illini to win at the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational, joining Zach Barlow in 2008 and Dylan Meyer in 2014. The Bellevue, Wash., native also matched his career-best 54-hole tournament score with a 197 (-13) to finish in a four-way tie for medalist honors with Georgia Tech's Max Emberson, Texas Tech's Ben Gregg, and Arizona State's Connor Williams.
Williams and the No. 4-ranked Sun Devils carded a team score of 800 (-40), narrowly edging out the Illini (-38) by two strokes in the team race. The team win is the second all-time at OFCC for ASU (2009).
Illinois finished one stroke ahead of No. 5 Texas Tech (-37) in third place, followed by No. 18 Alabama (-30) in fourth. No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Oklahoma State each shot 27-under to tie for fifth place.
Illinois' 802 (-38) marks the second-lowest team score in program history, trailing only the 796 posted at the Missouri Tiger Collegiate Invitational in April 2023.
Four of the five members of the Orange and Blue lineup, and three of four Illini golfers playing as individuals, finished inside the top 25.
Junior Jake Birdwell recorded a career-best tournament score of 201 (-9) to tie for 10th. It marked Birdwell's sixth-career top-10 in a full-field event, and his best finish in the lineup since tying for sixth last April at the Hoosier Collegiate Invitational.
Senior Dane Huddleston and sophomore Dujuan Snyman tied for 14th at 202 (-8). Snyman, who competed as an individual, opened his day by finishing off a career-low round of 65 (-5) when Round 2 resumed. He then shot a closing 69 to cap a career-low tournament score.
Trey Marrion also posted a career-low tournament score of 203 (-7). The junior paced the Illini lineup with a closing 66 (-4) to climb 16 spots up the leaderboard. He finished in a tie for 19th alongside freshman Le Khanh Hung, who made his collegiate debut as an individual competitor with three straight under-par rounds of 67, 68, and 68.
Fellow freshman Harrison Zipfel, also making his Illini debut as an individual, finished one shot off Le's pace at 204 (-6), to tie for 23rd in the 81-player field.
Senior Ethan Wilson shot a 66 on Saturday to finish with a career-best tournament score of 205 (-5) in a tie for 31st. Junior Freddie Turnell, the fifth member of the Illini lineup, tied for 36th with a three-round score of 206 (-4).
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.
| PLACE | OFCC/FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL | RD1 | RD2 | RD3 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Illinois | 266 | 268 | 268 | 802 (-38) |
| T1 | Max Herendeen | 66 | 64 | 67 | 197 (-13) |
| T10 | Jake Birdwell | 66 | 68 | 67 | 201 (-9) |
| T14 | Dane Huddleston | 66 | 68 | 68 | 202 (-8) |
| T14 | Dujuan Snyman (Ind.) | 68 | 65 | 69 | 202 (-8) |
| T19 | Trey Marrion | 68 | 69 | 66 | 203 (-7) |
| T19 | Le Khanh Hung (Ind.) | 67 | 68 | 68 | 203 (-7) |
| T23 | Harrison Zipfel (Ind.) | 66 | 70 | 68 | 204 (-6) |
| T31 | Ethan Wilson (Ind.) | 68 | 71 | 66 | 205 (-5) |
| T36 | Freddie Turnell | 68 | 68 | 70 | 206 (-4) |
