OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. - Stanford kicked off the 2024-25 season by carding an even-par 280 in the opening round of the Fighting Illini Invitational on Friday afternoon, finishing the day tied for fifth on the team leaderboard.
The Cardinal sits seven shots off Arizona State's lead but just one stroke behind the trio of Florida, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina, who hold a share of second place.
Ethan Gao led the team on Friday with a 2-under 68 to finish the day tied for third as an individual. The lone returner in the Cardinal lineup native knocked down five birdies in the round, second-most in the field on day one.
Jay Leng shot a methodical 1-under 69 on the round, sinking a pair of birdie putts in the final three holes to move into the top 15. Leng finished with four total birdies on the scorecard with just three bogeys.
Logan Kim had the cleanest round of the day for Stanford with 15 pars, turning in a 1-over performance with two bogeys and a lone birdie on the par-3 13th green.
Cal transfer Nathan Wang carded a 2-over 72 as a double-bogey on the 16th blemished an otherwise solid round, while T.K. Chantananuwat was Stanford's non-scoring round of the afternoon with a 3-over 73.
The tournament staff announced Friday evening that they will attempt to complete rounds 2 and 3 on Saturday due to inclement weather expected later in the weekend. If all 36 holes cannot be completed tomorrow, the remainder of the tournament will be completed on Sunday.
Stanford will begin the second round at 6:15 a.m. PT alongside North Carolina and Florida State, with the third round of play tentatively scheduled to begin at 11:15 a.m. PT.
| FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T5. Stanford | 280 (E) | -- | -- | 280 (E) |
| T3. Ethan Gao | 68 (-2) | -- | -- | 68 (-2) |
| T11. Jay Leng | 69 (-1) | -- | -- | 69 (-1) |
| T32. Logan Kim | 71 (+1) | -- | -- | 71 (+1) |
| T37. Nathan Wang | 72 (+2) | -- | -- | 72 (+2) |
| T71. T.K. Chantananuwat | 73 (+3) | -- | -- | 73 (+3) |