THE ROAD TO NATIONALS
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team - ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA Division I team rankings - continues its postseason run, May 23-28, at the 2025 NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Illinois, the overall No. 11 seed in the 30-team NCAA Championship field, claimed a share of the team title as host of the NCAA Urbana Regional at Atkins Golf Club, May 12-14, led by a runner-up finish from junior Ryan Voois. The win, Illinois seventh regional title under head coach Mike Small, secured the 31st National Championship appearance in program history. Under Small, the Illini have now earned 18 NCAA Championship bids, including berths in 16 of the last 17 tournaments dating back to 2008.
THE SETTING
The 2025 NCAA Championship is hosted by the Texas Longhorns at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The 2025 tournament marks the second consecutive national championships to be contested on the North Course, formerly known as the Champions Course, which is nestled among 400 lush garden acres near pristine beaches and is recognized as one of the world's top golf destinations. The course was newly renovated prior to the 2024 NCAA Championship, which served as its unveiling. The re-design was led by acclaimed architect Gil Hanse with the NCAA Championship and the match play format in mind.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 2025 NCAA Championship will be played over six days from Friday, May 23 through Wednesday, May 28.
Friday through Monday will feature four rounds (72 holes) of stroke play to determine the individual national champion. A cut to 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will take place following Sunday's third round (54 holes).
The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to Tuesday morning's match play quarterfinals. Semifinals matches are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, when the final four teams will compete for a place in the match play championship set for Wednesday afternoon.
THE FIELD
The 30-team field for the 2025 NCAA Championship includes the top-five finishers from each of six regional sites contested May 12-14. The table at right shows the complete list of the 2025 NCAA Championship seeds.
The Fighting Illini enter play at the championship round ranked as the No. 11 overall seed after beginning their postseason run as the No. 3 seed in the Urbana Regional where they shared the title with No. 2-seeded Oklahoma State, and finished ahead of No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 23 UNLV, and No. 28 Troy. Other regional winners include No. 1 seed Auburn (Auburn Regional), No. 6 Oklahoma (Amherst Regional), No. 7 Florida (Bremerton Regional), No. 8 Florida State (Tallahassee), and No. 14 BYU (Reno Regional). The Fighting Illini are also joined in the field by a pair of Big Ten foes in 12th-seeded UCLA and 24th-seeded Purdue, which finished third and fourth, respectively, at the Auburn Regional.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Ryan Voois
No. 2: Jackson Buchanan
No. 3: Max Herendeen
No. 4: Jake Birdwell
No. 5: Trey Marrion
Alt: Ethan Wilson
ILLINI HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Fighting Illini have competed for the national title 31 times - 30 since the NCAA era began in 1939 - and have established the program as one of the top postseason performers in collegiate golf over the last 25 years under the guidance of head coach Mike Small.
Since Small took the reins of his alma mater prior to the 2000-01 season, the Orange and Blue have competed in 20 of 24 NCAA Regionals, and have advanced to the NCAA Championship round on 18 occasions. Put another way, 90 percent of the Illini's postseason runs under Small have resulted in the team advancing to the NCAA Championship. Even more impressive, since 2008 the Illini have secured 16 out of 17 NCAA Championship berths.
Entering the 2025 NCAA Championship, and since the current Stroke Play/Match Play format was adopted in 2009, the Fighting Illini boast nine seasons - 2011, 2013, 2014, 2105, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2024 - in which the team progressed to match play. Those nine match play appearances rank tied for first nationally, with Oklahoma State. In those nine match play appearances, the program has amassed 14 total matches (third nationally) and five victories (tied for sixth nationally).
In 2024, the first year at La Costa, the Fighting Illini ran away with first place in stroke play with a 72-hole total of 6-under 1146, earning the top seed in match play by a margin of 16 strokes over No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt.
Illinois' best team postseason finish came under Small in 2013 when the Illini finished as the national runner-up at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga. In addition to that championship match appearance against Alabama, the Illini played in the quarterfinals in 2011, 2014, 2021, 2023, and 2024, and made three-consecutive semifinal appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Under Small's guidance, the Fighting Illini have also produced a pair of individual NCAA champions. Scott Langley claimed the first national title for the Illini in 2010 at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn. Two years later, Thomas Pieters captured medalist honors at the 2012 NCAA Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Illinois, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma State, are the only programs to produce two individual national champions since 2000-01 (Mike Small era).
In 2023 at Grayhawk, Jackson Buchanan posted the third-best individual NCAA Championship finish in program history with his runner-up performance, matched last year by then-freshman Max Herendeen and fifth-year senior Tyler Goecke in Year 1 at La Costa.
Since 2010 when Langley won Illinois' first individual national championship, the Orange and Blue lead the nation in individual champions (2), runner-up finishes (3), top-three finishers (6), and top-5 finishers (8) in stroke play at the NCAA Championship.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the NCAA Championship will be available on Clippd Scoreboard for both the stroke play and match play. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of competition.
GOLF CHANNEL LIVE COVERAGE
The GOLF Channel will provide pre-tournament, live and post-round coverage of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship. Live coverage begins on May 26 (5-9 p.m. CT) when the individual national champion is crowned. Golf Channel's live coverage will also include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on Tuesday, May 27 (12-2:30 p.m. CT and 5-9 p.m. CT) and Wednesday, May 28 (5-9 p.m. CT).
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The Fighting Illini men's golf team - ranked No. 12 in the latest NCAA Division I team rankings - continues its postseason run, May 23-28, at the 2025 NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Illinois, the overall No. 11 seed in the 30-team NCAA Championship field, claimed a share of the team title as host of the NCAA Urbana Regional at Atkins Golf Club, May 12-14, led by a runner-up finish from junior Ryan Voois. The win, Illinois seventh regional title under head coach Mike Small, secured the 31st National Championship appearance in program history. Under Small, the Illini have now earned 18 NCAA Championship bids, including berths in 16 of the last 17 tournaments dating back to 2008.
THE SETTING
The 2025 NCAA Championship is hosted by the Texas Longhorns at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The 2025 tournament marks the second consecutive national championships to be contested on the North Course, formerly known as the Champions Course, which is nestled among 400 lush garden acres near pristine beaches and is recognized as one of the world's top golf destinations. The course was newly renovated prior to the 2024 NCAA Championship, which served as its unveiling. The re-design was led by acclaimed architect Gil Hanse with the NCAA Championship and the match play format in mind.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The 2025 NCAA Championship will be played over six days from Friday, May 23 through Wednesday, May 28.
Friday through Monday will feature four rounds (72 holes) of stroke play to determine the individual national champion. A cut to 15 teams and the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will take place following Sunday's third round (54 holes).
The top eight teams from stroke play will advance to Tuesday morning's match play quarterfinals. Semifinals matches are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, when the final four teams will compete for a place in the match play championship set for Wednesday afternoon.
THE FIELD
The 30-team field for the 2025 NCAA Championship includes the top-five finishers from each of six regional sites contested May 12-14. The table at right shows the complete list of the 2025 NCAA Championship seeds.
The Fighting Illini enter play at the championship round ranked as the No. 11 overall seed after beginning their postseason run as the No. 3 seed in the Urbana Regional where they shared the title with No. 2-seeded Oklahoma State, and finished ahead of No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 23 UNLV, and No. 28 Troy. Other regional winners include No. 1 seed Auburn (Auburn Regional), No. 6 Oklahoma (Amherst Regional), No. 7 Florida (Bremerton Regional), No. 8 Florida State (Tallahassee), and No. 14 BYU (Reno Regional). The Fighting Illini are also joined in the field by a pair of Big Ten foes in 12th-seeded UCLA and 24th-seeded Purdue, which finished third and fourth, respectively, at the Auburn Regional.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Ryan Voois
No. 2: Jackson Buchanan
No. 3: Max Herendeen
No. 4: Jake Birdwell
No. 5: Trey Marrion
Alt: Ethan Wilson
ILLINI HISTORY AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Fighting Illini have competed for the national title 31 times - 30 since the NCAA era began in 1939 - and have established the program as one of the top postseason performers in collegiate golf over the last 25 years under the guidance of head coach Mike Small.
Since Small took the reins of his alma mater prior to the 2000-01 season, the Orange and Blue have competed in 20 of 24 NCAA Regionals, and have advanced to the NCAA Championship round on 18 occasions. Put another way, 90 percent of the Illini's postseason runs under Small have resulted in the team advancing to the NCAA Championship. Even more impressive, since 2008 the Illini have secured 16 out of 17 NCAA Championship berths.
Entering the 2025 NCAA Championship, and since the current Stroke Play/Match Play format was adopted in 2009, the Fighting Illini boast nine seasons - 2011, 2013, 2014, 2105, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2024 - in which the team progressed to match play. Those nine match play appearances rank tied for first nationally, with Oklahoma State. In those nine match play appearances, the program has amassed 14 total matches (third nationally) and five victories (tied for sixth nationally).
In 2024, the first year at La Costa, the Fighting Illini ran away with first place in stroke play with a 72-hole total of 6-under 1146, earning the top seed in match play by a margin of 16 strokes over No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt.
Illinois' best team postseason finish came under Small in 2013 when the Illini finished as the national runner-up at the Capital City Club in Atlanta, Ga. In addition to that championship match appearance against Alabama, the Illini played in the quarterfinals in 2011, 2014, 2021, 2023, and 2024, and made three-consecutive semifinal appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Under Small's guidance, the Fighting Illini have also produced a pair of individual NCAA champions. Scott Langley claimed the first national title for the Illini in 2010 at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn. Two years later, Thomas Pieters captured medalist honors at the 2012 NCAA Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Illinois, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma State, are the only programs to produce two individual national champions since 2000-01 (Mike Small era).
In 2023 at Grayhawk, Jackson Buchanan posted the third-best individual NCAA Championship finish in program history with his runner-up performance, matched last year by then-freshman Max Herendeen and fifth-year senior Tyler Goecke in Year 1 at La Costa.
Since 2010 when Langley won Illinois' first individual national championship, the Orange and Blue lead the nation in individual champions (2), runner-up finishes (3), top-three finishers (6), and top-5 finishers (8) in stroke play at the NCAA Championship.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the NCAA Championship will be available on Clippd Scoreboard for both the stroke play and match play. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of competition.
GOLF CHANNEL LIVE COVERAGE
The GOLF Channel will provide pre-tournament, live and post-round coverage of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship. Live coverage begins on May 26 (5-9 p.m. CT) when the individual national champion is crowned. Golf Channel's live coverage will also include all three rounds of the team match-play tournament on Tuesday, May 27 (12-2:30 p.m. CT and 5-9 p.m. CT) and Wednesday, May 28 (5-9 p.m. CT).
