Men’s Golf Regional Preview: Commodores Head to Athens with NCAA Championship Hopes

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Dates: May 18-20

Location: UGA Golf Course- Augusta, GA

Teams

1. Auburn
2. Illinois
3. Vanderbilt
4. BYU
5. Georgia
6. Louisville
7. Kansas
8. Northwestern
9. College of Charleston
10. Rice 
11. Southern Mississippi
12. Harvard [The Ivy League]
13. Howard [Northeast Conference]

Format

The NCAA organizes six regional tournaments, and each field consists of 12 teams and six individuals. After three rounds of stroke play at a regional tournament, the top five teams from each location advance to the national championship. The top individual on a non-advancing team from each regional site advances as well.

The Course

The UGA Golf Course has received numerous accolades during its 55+ years of existence. It is a fixture in Golfweek Magazine’s collegiate golf course rankings, coming in at #26 in 2022. In the state of Georgia, the UGA Golf Course is ranked as the 12th best public golf course to play by Golfweek Magazine. GolfAdvisor, which is more focused on customer reviews, ranked the UGA Golf Course as the #1 course in Georgia, the #1 collegiate course in the U.S., and the 10th best course in the nation to play according to data collected in 2021.

In May 2006, Love Golf Design of St. Simons Island was hired to renovate the green complexes and add 21 new tees to both lengthen and shorten the golf course to improve playability for all golfer abilities. The new championship Bulldog Tees stretched the course to almost 7,300 yards and provided the best collegiate and professional golfers with a very stern test. The golf course reopened in December 2006 to rave reviews.

Vandy’s Roster

Wells Williams- Senior

#20 ranked player, 1 Top 3, 68.4 scoring average 

Will Hartman- Freshman

#278 ranked player, 70.9 scoring average

Chase Nevins- Junior

#180 ranked player, 70.1 scoring average

John Ed Steed- Freshman

#86 ranked player, 1 Top 3, 69.5 scoring average

Ryan Downes- Sophomore 

#80 ranked player, 1 win at the Bryson Invitational, 69.6 scoring average 

How Vandy Got Here

Vandy put together another nationally relevant season in 2026, spending much of the spring ranked inside the top 15 and consistently competing against elite SEC and national fields. Under head coach Scott Limbaugh, the Commodores combined veteran leadership with one of the country’s strongest young cores.

The season was highlighted by several strong tournament finishes, including a runner-up performance at the Mason Rudolph Championship in Nashville, where Vanderbilt finished behind Auburn after shooting under par in all three rounds. Freshman Jon Ed Steed emerged as one of the team’s breakout stars with multiple top-five individual finishes during the spring.  

Senior standout Wells Williams anchored the roster throughout the year and earned first-team All-SEC honors, while Steed was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Williams also repeated as SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Commodore golfer to win the award in consecutive seasons.  

At the SEC Championship in Sea Island, Vanderbilt entered as a top-10/top-15 caliber team nationally, but the tournament ended disappointingly. The Commodores were in contention entering the final stretch before a difficult closing round dropped them to 15th place overall at 3-over par, ending their SEC title hopes early.  

Opponents

1. Auburn

#1 ranked team nationally, won 5 and placed Top 3 in 10 events out of 12 played. Placed 1st in SEC Championship stroke play and 3rd in match play. Lead by Jackson Koivun (#1 nationally, 66.4 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Jason Dufner. 

2. Illinois

#12 nationally ranked, Big Ten runner up, 3 wins and 8 Top 3’s in 11 tournaments. Finished 2nd in the Big 10 Championship. Lead by Max Herendeen (#51 ranked player, 69.5 average, 1 win). Most famous golf alumni is Steve Stricker. 

4. BYU

#24 ranked, 3 wins and 6 Top 3’s in 12 tournaments. Finished 6th in Big 12 Tournament. Lead by Khei Akina (#6 ranked player, 68.0 scoring average, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s. Most famous golf alumni is Johnny Miller. 

5. Georgia

#26 ranked, 3 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 12 tournaments. Host school for region. Lead by Carter Loflin (#67 ranked player, 69.7 scoring average, 2 wins. Kevin Kisner is most famous golf alumni. 

6. Louisville

#36 ranked nationally, 0 wins but 3 Top 3’s in 10 tournaments played. 7th in ACC Tournament. Lead by Cooper Claycomb (#115 ranked player, 1 win, 69.8 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Adam Hadwin. 

7. Kansas

#37 ranked team, 1 win and 5 Top 3’s in 12 events. 5th in Big 12 Tournament. Lead by William King (#145 ranked player, 0 wins or Top 3’s but a 69.9 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Gary Woodland. 

8. Northwestern

#50 ranked team, 0 wins or Top 3’s. Finished 9th in Big 10 Tournament. Lead by Daniel Savard (#69 ranked player, 2 Top 3’s, 69.2 scoring average). Matt Fitzpatrick is most famous golf alumni. 

9. College of Charleston

#51 ranked team, 3 wins and 5 Top 3’s in 10 events played. Finished 3rd in CAA Championship. Lead by Miles Eubanks (#117 ranked player, 1 win and 2 Top 3’s, scoring average of 69.7). Most famous golf alumni is Kieron van Wyk. 

10. Rice 

#62 ranked team, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 11 events played. Finished 3rd in the American Conference Championship. Lead by Lukas Boandl (#93 ranked player, 1 win and 2 Top 3’s, 69.6 scoring average. Most famous golf alumni is Brad Lardon.

11. Southern Mississippi

#63 ranked team, 2 wins and 7 Top 3’s in 10 events. Finished 3rd in the Sunbelt Conference Championship. Lead by Benjamin Fernandez (#203 ranked player, 4 Top 3’s, 70.6 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Mark Blackburn. 

 
12. Harvard

#124 ranked team, 2 wins and 3 Top 3’s in 7 events played. Won the Ivy League Championship. Lead by Barry Zhang (#598 ranked player, 1 win at the Ivy League Championships, 72.2 scoring average). Most famous golf alumni is Edwards Stimpson who invented the stimp meter. 

13. Howard

#190 ranked team, 2 wins and 4 Top 3’s in 11 events played. Won the NEC Championship. Lead by Francisco Perez (#768 ranked player, 1 win at the Colin Montgomery HCU Invitational, 73.2 scoring average). Their most famous golf alumni is Gregory Howell Jr.

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