Illinois Men's Golf Advances to NCAA Championships Finals

The top five teams from each of six regionals advance to the finals May 23-28 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. This year marks Illinois' 18th trip to the national tournament since 2000.

The Illini took advantage of a bit of home cooking at Atkins GC and some excellent individual play this week to secure a spot in the finals. Senior Jackson Buchanan set the tone in Monday's opening round by firing a course-record round of 63 (8-under).

A strong day-two effort headlined by a 67 (4-under) from sophomore Ryan Voois put Illinois in firm position to finish in the top five Wednesday. The Illini and Cowboys finished knotted at the top with matching 15-under-par totals, while other qualifiers from the Urbana regional included UNLV, Troy and Texas Tech.

Coach Mike Small's group will head west hoping to put last season's disappointment behind them. After making the national tournament last year, the Illini shined in the stroke-play portion of the tournament, finishing first and qualifying for the quarterfinals. But they were upset there by No. 8 seed Georgia Tech.

Back with a skilled and experienced lineup and led by one of the best coaches in the country, the Illini will again take aim at a national championship next week in southern California.

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