No. 8 Men’s Golf Punches Ticket to 2026 NCAA Championship

MARANA, Ariz. – The No. 8 LSU Men’s Golf team played an incredible 12-under 276 round on Wednesday to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad, Calif. The Marana regional was played at the par-72, 7,317-yard The Gallery Golf Club.

For the first time in the Jake Amos era, the LSU men have punched their ticket to the final dance. The men closed the tournament in third with a 30-under performance, needing to finish in the top five in order to advance. Advancing with LSU to the NCAA Championships out of the Marana regional are No. 18 Arizona, No. 5 Oklahoma State, No. 29 Duke, and No. 44 Arkansas State.

“The guys played incredibly solid all week,” said Head Coach Jake Amos. “Coming out to the desert and playing at altitude was not ideal but they just showed how experienced and well rounded they are as a team.”

This week marked redemption for the Tigers after a disappointing finish last season in the Amherst regional where they finished ninth. LSU’s men last traveled to the NCAA Championship in 2024 where they finished 18th overall. Two current Tigers from that team, Jay Mendell and Luke Haskew, played this week in Marana.

“We have won a lot this year, and we’ve had a chance to win a lot of (other) events. We have a top-10 squad that can compete to win a national title. That’s the goal and that’s the expectation here at LSU.”

The Louisiana duo of Jay Mendell and Noah McWilliams were on fire from start to finish in the desert. Both Tigers closed their three rounds at 11-under 205 to tie for sixth on the individual leaderboard. Mendell’s week went 69, 68, 68 as he finished as the second-best player on par-four holes (3.73-stroke average) and tied for sixth with 16 total birdies. McWilliams finished tied for the most birdies in the regional with 18 total, leading to his 69, 69, 67 performance.

Freshman Dan Hayes continues to show his steady hand of play as he finished in the top 20 in the tournament at T18 with a six-under week. Hayes went 70, 68, 72 as he helped power the Tigers to their first NCAA appearance since 2024.

After a series of two bad rounds, sophomore Arni Sveinsson bounced back big on day three when the Tigers needed him most. Sveinsson was five over entering Wednesday and was unable to score in the top four prior, but the Icelander recorded a three-under 69 to give them the boost needed across the finish line. A beautiful sight to see as he was the lone Tiger last season to finish under par and in the top 30 of the individual leaderboard at the Amherst regional.

THE TIGERS
T6. Jay Mendell, -11 (69, 68, 68)
T6. Noah McWilliams, -11 (69, 69, 67)
T18. Dan Hayes, -6 (70, 68, 72)
T43. Arni Sveinsson, +2 (74, 75, 69)
73. Matty Dodd-Berry, n/a (71, 74, –)
76. Luke Haskew, n/a (–, –, 79)

TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. #18 Arizona, -49 (277, 264, 274)
2. #5 Oklahoma State, -35 (277, 274, 278)
3. #8 LSU, -30 (279, 279, 276)
T4. Arkansas State, -24 (281, 274, 285)
T4. Duke, -24 (282, 280, 278)
– – – NCAA Team-Qualifier Cutoff – – –
6. #20 Alabama, -23 (286, 278, 277)
7. Clemson, -21 (292, 277, 274)
8. West Virginia, -5 (294, 282, 283)
9. St. Mary’s (CA), -3 (292, 290, 279)
10. Tarleton State, +4 (291, 292, 285)
11. San Diego State, +5 (299, 289, 281)
12. Florida Gulf Coast, +11 (297, 289, 289)
13. Iona, +18 (302, 283, 297)
14. North Dakota State, +23 (303, 289, 295)

(Release via LSU Athletics)