Men's Golf | 4/19/2026 7:30:03 PM
Four-time defending champion St. John Fisher University leads second place Russell Sage College by just four strokes after the third round of the 2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Golf Championship, held at Lebanon Country Club in Lebanon, PA on Sunday, April 19. Final round action gets underway at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 20.
Follow along with final round action here.
Fall scores are combined with scores from rounds three and four this weekend to determine team and individual awards. The first two rounds of the 2025-26 Empire 8 Golf Championship were held at Teugega Country Club in Rome, NY on Sunday, Oct. 12 and Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.
The Cardinals have a team score of 922 strokes to lead second place Russell Sage College (926), while Nazareth University is third overall with a team score of 940 strokes, 18 off the lead. SUNY Oswego moved into fourth after round three with a team score of 945, while SUNY Canton (949) and Utica University (950) enter the final day all less than 30 shots off the lead.
In round three Oswego recorded the best team score of the day, 317, one ahead of Russell Sage (318) and two better than St. John Fisher (319).
St. John Fisher’s
Collin Patterson and
Tyce Helmick of SUNY Oswego both shot the low round of the day, a four-over-par 76 in rainy, windy and cold conditions early at the start of the round. Patterson now is the overall leader after three rounds with a score of 223 (plus-11), four shots ahead of teammate
Nick Years, who has a score of 227. Helmick’s strong round moved him into third place overall with a three-round score of 229.
Luke Finlan of Russell Sage, who led heading into round three, is now tied fourth with a three-round score of 232 with
Nathan Macdonald of Utica University, nine shots behind Patterson.
Jack Doran of Fisher and
Raine Rumble of SUNY Canton are both 10 shots off the lead.
Below are the
team scores and top individual scores from the fall championship.
The 2025-26 Empire 8 Champion receives an automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship, set for May 12-15 at Mission Resort Club in Howey-In-The-Hills, FL.
2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Golf Championship Team Scores (After Round 3)
St. John Fisher University – 922 (308-295-319)
Russell Sage College – 926 (304-304-318)
Nazareth University – 940 (306-307-327)
SUNY Oswego – 945 (317-311-317)
SUNY Canton – 949 (301-314-334)
Utica University – 950 (308-310-332)
Keuka College – 1039 (339-335-365)
SUNY Poly – 1040 (337-337-366)
2025-26 Empire 8 Men’s Golf Championship Individual Leaders (After Round 3)
Colin Patterson, St. John Fisher – 223 (+11)
Nick Years, St. John Fisher – 227 (+15)
Tyce Helmick, SUNY Oswego – 229 (+17)
Nathan Macdonald, Utica – 232 (+20)
Luke Finlan, Russell Sage – 232 (+20)
Jack Doran, St. John Fisher – 233 (+21)
Raine Rumble, SUNY Canton – 233 (+21)
Ryan Arp, Russell Sage – 234 (+22)
Lincoln Crosby, Nazareth – 235 (+23)
Kahontiio Lazore, SUNY Canton – 236 (+24)
Jackson Vatter, Russell Sage – 236 (+24)
AWARDS: The Empire 8 champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship. The top five scorers at the end of the tournament (who played in all four rounds) will earn first-team all-conference honors with the next five finishers being named to the second team. Finishers 11-15 will earn third team accolades. The individual with the lowest four-round score will be named Empire 8 Player of the Year, while the lowest scoring first-year student-athlete will earn Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors.
THE COURSE: Over 100 years ago, Alexander Findlay arrived in the United States from Scotland with a plan to share his love of the sport this country has grown to adore. Lebanon was hatched from the mind of a traditional Scottish Architect, and continues to inspire the same awe it did in the early 1920s. Certified by both USGA and the Audubon Society, this revered course holds a distinguished reputation within the golfing community. As a par 72 course nestled within Lebanon County's rolling terrain, it offers an engaging blend of shot selection and hole lengths. Renowned for its picturesque beauty and versatility, it remains a coveted destination.