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NCAA regional | Get to know Illinois’ lineup
URBANA — Jackson Buchanan laughed away a question about how his Illinois men’s golf teammates responded to the rather significant honors he earned last week.
Tried to downplay their response to his receiving the Big Ten Medal of Honor and Byron Nelson Award that recognized both his efforts on the golf course and, just as importantly, away from the sport he’s dominated at times during his Illinois career. Played it off that they might have just been a little surprised.
Maybe not.
Buchanan has clearly left a lasting impression on his teammates with the way they discuss the impact he’s had on them the past two to three years.
“I came in freshman year and didn’t know anything about college golf,” Illinois junior Ryan Voois said. “I didn’t know anything about being in college. He’s been there for me every step of the way. He’s been hard on me, at times, when I needed it, but he’s helped me grow a lot both as a player and off the course as well.”
Max Herendeen called Buchanan the “older brother” he never had.
“We love each other so much, but we bicker and we fight,” the Illinois sophomore said. “It’s literally just like an older brother relationship, but he’s been a good mentor for me. Not just on the course, but off the course, as well. He’s a stand-up guy and a good student and does things the right way.”
That’s how the 23-year-old Buchanan wound up with the Big Ten Medal of Honor last Monday and then Illinois’ first-ever Byron Nelson Award winner a day later. The golf part speaks for itself, with Buchanan a three-time All-Big Ten First-Team selection, the 2023 NCAA championship runner-up, the 2024 Big Ten Golfer of the Year and a two-time All-American (and counting).
Buchanan’s made just as much impact away from the golf course. He’ll graduate this month from the Gies College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in operations management. His volunteer time with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank the past four years are a continuation of efforts he put in in back home at Georgia at various North Gwinnett Co-Op stores.
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Buchanan also participated in Illinois’ Campus Walk for Suicide Awareness, tutored students in Spanish at the International Prep Academy’s Field Day and, when he gets time at home, works with junior golfers with the same organization — North Georgia Golf Academy — that helped shape his own game.
“I don’t really like to give myself credit sometimes, but that means a lot to me,” Buchanan said about his dual awards. “It doesn’t just talk about the golf. It talks about stuff off the course. To me, as a person, that means almost more than the golf.”
Serving others comes naturally
Buchanan said his willingness to volunteer was just how he was raised. That his parents, Buck and Sherri, instilled the importance of giving back to his community.
Buck has had the same message for each of his three children — Jackson and his two sisters Kylie and Lindsay — every day as they left home for school.
It was a little more nuanced than to simply have a good day. He challenged first Kylie, then Jackson and Lindsay, to be leaders. A trait he felt worth instilling given both his time in the U.S. Army as a doctor and his wife’s as an Army nurse.
“We’ve always been about being a high-character person, good leader, giving back to the community,” Buck said. “When I sent him off to Illinois, I was hoping he’d shine in the classroom and be the person we worked hard to develop. Not so much thrive on his athletic performance. We’re very, very proud of him being recognized for those things — not just his golf performance.”
The Buchanan family was regularly involved in service through their church. They got further involved in their community in Dacula, Ga., about 40 miles east of Atlanta, when Jackson was in the sixth grade.
“There were some people at his middle school who were in need financially around Christmas time,” Sherri said. “We got this whole thing started with the community to provide Christmas gifts for some of those kids in need. I was just astonished, really, that it came from him overhearing things. One of the kids in his class said his dad got laid off and he wouldn’t get to have a Christmas. That really stuck with Jackson.
“I’ve always said in the past he’s my sweetest child. We have three kids, and he’s the middle one and only boy. He really is just a sweet, sweet person, always looking out for other people. He carried that on through service through his school and through our church. … He’s really always had a heart for serving others.”
Handling adversity in golf
Buck revisited his conversations about leadership with Jackson this year given the role he fills as the only senior on coach Mike Small’s Illinois roster. That people follow leadership in different ways. That being a leader meant doing it every day — in practice and in the classroom.
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“There have been times where Jackson has instilled what we would call ‘Illini Golf’ values in me,” Voois said. “I’ve learned those and developed those over the last three years and hopefully can pass them on to some of our younger players.”
It’s the same way Jackson learned from former Illinois golfers Adrien Dumont de Chassart and Tommy Kuhl. Those two split the leadership duties during their five-year run with the Illini. Buchanan shouldered those almost exclusively last year as a junior and again this season with Voois stepping into a bigger role.
It was an added layer of responsibility and pressure that’s come with an uneven senior season. Particularly this spring. Four top-10 finishes, including a win at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational in Saucier, Miss., last fall has given way to a wider range of results the past three-plus months.
Three more top 10s this spring have been matched by struggles at high-profile events.
Like the Big Ten championship, where Jackson shot three rounds over par and finished tied for 42nd as Illinois placed second as a team for the second straight year.
“I’ve always been able to be one of those guys who doesn’t put too much pressure on myself or expectations, but I’ve definitely felt it a little bit this year,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if I’ve handled it the best. Golf is hard — it’s very mental and I feel like it may have taken a little bit of a toll on me — but I think I’m learning a lot about myself. The Big Ten championship, that’s something you never think is going to happen playing that bad and kind of crumbling down at the end.
“It’s all learning experience. Just like last year, I think there’s going to be some things achieved this postseason.”
Finding his rhythm again
It’s already started. In addition to his off-the-course honors, Jackson recently got back to his best self on the course. He shot 5-under to tie for first in the U.S. Open local qualifier Monday at Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville, Ind.
He also reconnected with Kuhl at the U.S. Open qualifier.
Spending time with his former teammate might have been just as pivotal as he turns his attention to the NCAA regional that begins Monday at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana.
“We were just kind of chatting about our old team and how I used to just play fiery,” Jackson said. “Now, I just look like I play a little more mature and scared and slow instead of my fiery little self. It’s hard. I’m not who I was two years ago. I’m not who I was yesterday. I’m who I am now.
“Part of me is trying to get back to my younger self. Back to where I could just play free. … Golf if a mindset. Rory (McIlory) talked about chasing a feeling on the golf course. I’m really kind of focusing on that. Going to play the ball wherever it is and being Jackson Buchanan.”
Finding that version of himself has been aided by the time he’s spent interacting with younger fans and working with younger golfers when he gets home to Georgia. They provide perspective.
“I think I’m struggling a little bit, but these kids would love to be in my position and want to play for Illinois and want to be at the top of the leaderboard,” Jackson said. “Sometimes, I take that for granted.”
Enjoying the moment
That perspective was reinforced after the Big Ten championship two weeks ago at Baltimore Country Club. The scores weren’t there. Rounds of 72, 74 and 73 were not how Jackson wanted to play his final Big Ten event. Then he claimed the Big Ten Medal of Honor and Byron Nelson Award on consecutive days.
“I wasn’t too proud of myself after the Big Ten championship, but (the awards) told me I do good things,” Jackson said. “I think it’s helped me realize I’m more than just a player. I think that’s going to free me up a bit.”
Buck and Sherri won’t be in Urbana next week for the regional given work responsibilities and that their youngest daughter, Lindsay, is still in high school. So, older sister Kylie will represent the family at Atkins Golf Club, with the Buchanan parents ready to head to Carlsbad, Calif., for the NCAA championship at the end of the month. When, not if, Illinois gets there.
“We told him they have to definitely qualify,” Sherri said. “We’re definitely going to be in Carlsbad.”
“He wants to win a national championship for Coach Small more than anything in life,” Buck added. “I can guarantee you as we sit here today if someone told him you can win the individual national championship or the team national championship, hands down the answer would be team.”
Whatever the result, this is Jackson’s last ride with Illinois golf. Then it’s on to the next stage of his life his parents see him ready to conquer with degree in hand and legitimate PGA Tour aspirations.
“Seeing the difference the four years have made is just tremendous,” Buck said. “I was very afraid for him to go away that four years and just turn him loose. Now, my gosh, he’s going to graduate in a few weeks. I think he’s ready to go on in whatever he does, whether it’s golf or getting a further education or a job.”
“He left here kind of a boy, and he is definitely a more mature young man up there,” Sherri added. “I wasn’t for it. I was not for it. I wanted him to be closer to home for sure, but it’s definitely been the right move. It’s been a wonderful experience for him.”
