Asmussen | Small's latest Illini team has the chops to continue successful run

Sep. 13—CHAMPAIGN — What, did you think the Illinois men's golf team was going to fall off a cliff?

Not a chance as long as Mike Small is in charge.

Sure, the best sports program on campus took a few hits at graduation. One of the losses, longtime standout Adrien Dumont de Chassart, went directly from the NCAA championships to the Korn Ferry Tour, where he is a rising star.

Another in the line of Small's imports from Belgium, ADC will be on the PGA Tour next season. My guess is he wins tournaments and contends in majors before he is done.

Another 2023 Illinois standout, Tommy Kuhl, is out of eligibility and started his pro career in Canada. Just a hunch he will be on the PGA Tour in the coming years.

Lose those two at most places and the next season would be a struggle. Lose those two at Illinois and Small simply sends in the next wave.

The 2023-24 Illini opened the campaign by winning this past weekend's Sahalee Players Championship in Washington. Illinois freshman Max Herendeen finished as the runner-up for medalist honors in his college debut, losing in a playoff to Arizona State's Preston Summerhays (golf name).

Two starters from last season's NCAA quarterfinalists remain with the ninth-ranked Illini. Piercen Hunt, a senior, and Jackson Buchanan, a junior who finished as the NCAA individual runner-up in the spring, are now the most experienced on the team.

Buchanan shot 66 in the first round of the weekend tournament and wound up in a tie for fifth place.

Small wasn't sure what kind of team he would have this season. But the win in Washington at a difficult course is a good sign.

"I didn't have a lot of expectations heading into the event," Small said. "Three new players in the lineup and really two brand-new ones. I was hoping for the best, and by gosh, we played really solid Illinois golf. We got a lead early and held on at the end."

Challenge accepted

Small and Illinois host this weekend's 17th annual OFCC/ Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields Country Club outside of Chicago.

Illinois and 14 other top teams are entered, including the last five national champions: Florida (2023), Texas (2022), Pepperdine (2021), Stanford (2019) and Oklahoma State (2018). The programs entered have filled 17 of 24 finals spots in the NCAA tournament match play since the format was adopted in 2009. All 15 teams competed in the NCAA regionals in 2023, with 11 qualifying for stroke play and 7 of the 8 reaching the match-play quarterfinals.

"It is the premier event in college golf," Small said. "The field last week was strong. This will be even stronger. We'll see if we can go up and maybe shock the world again."

Small put the players through a rigorous training camp going into the fall season.

"Mental challenges and mental strain just to see how they are," Small said. "We were curious if we were better than we thought we were or we were worse than we thought we were. We didn't know where we were. So I found out we are deeper than I thought we were potential-wise."

But ...

"It's just one event," said Small, now in 23rd year as Illini coach. "In this sport, you can't judge anybody by one event."

If the team wins again this weekend — and there are no guarantees — then Small will have a better idea of where Illinois stands.

College golf splits the competitive year into two seasons: fall and spring. When it comes time to pick the NCAA field, both seasons count.

Growing legacy

During Small's long run of success — both at the Big Ten and NCAA levels — he has tried to set a standard of excellence.

"I hope it helps," Small said. "But they have no choice. They signed up for this stuff. We didn't twist their arm to come here. We didn't draft them. They are here because they want to be here, so there is an expectation. We talk about that and embrace it."

Herendeen, one of the nation's top golf recruits, is off to a good start.

"Young players when they have success tend to think they are better than they are," Small said. "When they play bad, they tend to think they are worse than they are. We know (Max) is going to be good."

Herendeen, who grew up in Bellevue, Wash., just minutes from Sahalee Country Club where Illinois' season-opening event was held last weekend, found himself leading the tournament until a double-bogey on No. 17 the final day put him behind. He birdied No. 18 to force a playoff.

"He knows he has things to learn," Small said. "He's very talented."

Small is used to players with early success. When former standout Dylan Meyer was a freshman, he won his first event.

"He thought he had the whole thing figured out, but he soon realized he didn't," Small said. "With Max, he's just got to stay with what he does. He's a very mature golfer. He knows the game. He knows his game."