Illini golf makes a statement ahead of national championships

CHAMPAIGN – Illini golf has long been the big name from the northern links of the college game.

The Illini regularly own the Big Ten Conference championship before making a run to the NCAA championships and into the match play portion that determines the national title. Coach Mike Small has done it with locals, guys from around the state and around the country and some foreign-born players who come to the U.S. for coaching from a former Tour player.

But a team barely inside the top 20 of the college golf rankings saw its 8-year winning streak in the Big Ten championships come to an end earlier this month, after Illinois ended the 54-hole tournament at 38-over par.

The Illini were shipped West to the Stanford Regional. Illinois golf fans wondered how the team would react.

By winning the Stanford Regional, the Illini made a statement about being ready to contend for the eight spots open in match play where the drive toward a national title gets more serious. Illinois makes its 30th trip to the national championships and 15th in the last 16 years under Small, who isn’t afraid to think big heading into the first round of 72 holes of stroke play before the field is trimmed to those eight teams going for the title.

“To handicap the field is hard,’’ Small said. “I like our chances. I like the mental stability after last week. We joked around this week. We’re a little bit spastic enough that we could scare some people. When we’re good, we’re really good. If we could just relax and carry that confidence, it could be an interesting week.’’

The Illini and the rest of the 30-team field plays the North Course at the Omni Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The par-72 layout is a 7,538-yard beast the Illini and the rest of the field see for the first time.

For the Illini and Small, it’s about continuing the momentum built after a scorching hot first round in regional play helped the Illini bounce back by winning the regional title. At this point in the season, Small backs off with the hard coaching and lets his team find their mojo individually.

It might sound crazy, but the formula has worked.

“We’re big on consistency,’’ Small said. “At this time of the year, as coaches, you want to back off a little bit. You don’t have to talk so much. This is the time of the year some of the best coaching is not really doing much.

“In any sport, when it gets to the keeping going or (reaching) the end, coaches try to get too much into control. Kids can get power and confidence in you giving it over to them. I trust you. I have faith in you.

“We’re going to back off a little bit. We’ve said things a million times. Take a little chill pill and turn responsibility over to them. I think that’s empowering them.’’

It worked last week. True freshman Max Herendeen earned regional medalist and was one of three Illini to finish in the top 10 while rolling to the regional title. While winning its sixth regional since 2013, the Illini followed the lead of Herendeen, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year who won his first tournament title with a 13-under-par 197 that set a school record for a 54-hole mark in postseason play.

“The mandate of this program is to get our good (play) good enough so our average is good enough to win,’’ Small said. “We’ve gotten better this year, which is what you want. We have to get it to our average, just go out and hit our standard and not have to play great and still contend and be at the top.’’

The Illini overwhelmed the regional field while star Jackson Buchanan, the reigning Big Ten Golfer of the Year, didn’t play up to expectations. That’s OK, he said, because the Illini advanced.

“It’s the happiest T-30 I’ve ever had in my life,’’ Buchanan said. “I was happy for the guys. Last week was awesome for the team. We’re not playing an individual game now. It’s a team game. It’s special and good to see. That’s exactly what you want to see in postseason.’’

Battling back from the disappointment of seeing that Big Ten streak snapped, the Illini “put our heads down and kept grinding,’’ Buchanan said.

The next step is playing their way into the final eight teams after the four rounds of stroke play. There is a cut to the top 15 teams after 54 holes, but the big goal now is to reach match play and the eight-team field that begins with quarterfinal round play Tuesday and the championship determined the following day.

“Once you make it to match play, anybody can win,’’ Buchanan said. “We all drive it well and putt it well. It’s important to put pressure on the other player. Match play is fun. If you’re just reckless enough, you can find your way to a national championship.’’

While winning the team title has eluded the Illini in a sport ruled by warm-weather teams, the Illini are a regular on the national scene, but the mixture of young talent and experienced players is taking another shot at it.

“It’s a dream,’’ Herendeen said. “Now it’s on the Golf Channel. It’s a big spectacle for the college golf world. I’ve wanted to be in this situation for three or four years. I’m happy to do it with this team we’ve got.’’

And it’s that time of the season when the talking is done with shotmaking rather the Small pushing more coachspeak.

“He’s a little more hands off this time of year,’’ Herendeen said. “He has respect for us as players. You have to do your own thing and play with what you’ve got. He’s very good with that.’’

It’s also time to see if the Illini’s good is good enough.