UNLV’s men’s golf team got off to a strong start in its quest to reach the NCAA championship.

The Rebels are in third place after Monday’s opening round at Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Illinois. UNLV fired a round of 3-under 281 to rest four shots behind No. 14 Illinois, which is playing on its home course.

Texas Tech is second at 5 under, followed by the Rebels and Sun Belt champion Troy (1 under). No. 26 Long Beach State and No. 47 Marquette are tied for fifth at 1 over. The top five finishers after the three-round tournament will qualify for the national championship in Carlsbad, California, in two weeks.

The region’s top two teams struggled Monday, with No. 2 Oklahoma State sitting in seventh at 2 over and No. 10 North Carolina in 11th at 8 over.

Senior Caden Fioroni is tied for third after pacing the Rebels with an opening-round 68, with sophomore Zach Little in a tie for seventh another shot back.

Illinois senior Jackson Buchanan leads after an 8-under 63.

The UNLV men are looking to join their Rebels counterparts in reaching the national championship. The UNLV women punched their ticket to the championship tournament last week with a fourth-place finish in a regional in Columbus, Ohio.

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at [email protected].