Men's Golf | 5/11/2026 1:30:00 PM
NCAA DIII Men's Golf Championship Information
The 2026 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championship begins on May 12 and will run through May 15 at the Mission Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The tournament will feature 43 teams of five players and 10 individuals.
The team and individual champions will be determined after 72 holes of play or the conclusion of the last fully completed round. First- and second-round competition will be played simultaneously on El Campeón and Las Colinas courses with the final two rounds played on El Campeón. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and the top six individuals not on one of those teams. Ties for the cut will be broken by a sudden-death playoff or, if necessary, by the non-sudden-death tiebreaking procedures.
El Campeón Course: El Campeón, an 18-hole championship course, emerged from the visionary genius of Chicago-based course architect George O'Neil in 1917. This scenic masterpiece witnessed its evolution in 1926, courtesy of Charles E. Clarke, hailing from the legendary golfing grounds of Troon, Scotland. El Campeón is a par 72 course and will play at 6,778 yards.
Las Colinas: Crafted by the skilled hands of Gary Koch in 1992, Las Colinas, which translates to 'the hills' in Spanish, is an 18-hole championship course that presents a distinctive contrast to El Campeón. It embodies the spirit of an inland links design, gracing golf enthusiasts with its expansive, open fairways and generously sized, undulating greens. Ranked among the top powerhouses on GolfAdvisor in April 2017, Las Colinas is a testament to its exceptional golfing prowess. The course is a par 71 that will play at 6,820 yards.
How They Got Here
St. John Fisher wrapped up its 21st Empire 8 Conference title and fifth in a row on April 20 at the Lebanon Valley Country Club to clinch a spot in the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship.
The Cardinals shot 105-over-par 1,241 over the four rounds – the first two of which were played in October at the Teugega Country Club in Rome, New York – to win the tournament by 19 strokes. Russell Sage (124-over 1,260) claimed second place, while Nazareth (127-over 1,263) finished third and Utica (136-over 1,272) took fourth.
Three Cardinals placed in the top five on the individual leader board, with sophomore Colin Patterson, who ended the fall portion of the tournament in second place, finishing as the champion at 21-over-par 305. Sophomores Nick Years (+23, 307 strokes) and Jack Doran (+28, 312 strokes) took second and fifth, respectively.
St. John Fisher has reached the national tournament 17 times since 2005. The Cardinals placed third as a team in 2008, and St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Scott Harris Jr. became the first national champion in school history that same year.
St. John Fisher Participants
Nick Years (So.) – Years boasts a team-best average score of 76.2 strokes through 21 rounds played entering the national tournament. The first-team All-Empire 8 performer placed second in the conference championship, which began with two rounds in October and concluded with two more rounds last month, +23 (307 strokes). Years, the 2024-25 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, also competed in the NCAA DIII Championship Tournament last season.
Colin Patterson (So.) – Patterson, averaging 76.3 strokes per round, recently claimed Empire 8 Player of the Year honors with a first-place finish in the conference tournament, during which he shot 21-over-par 305 over four rounds. He also represented the Cardinals in the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament, which St. John Fisher hosted last May at the Cobblestone Creek and Midvale country clubs.
Jack Doran (So.) – Doran has played in 19 of the Cardinals’ 21 rounds this season and owns an average score of 78.9 strokes. He shot 28-over 312 in the Empire 8 Tournament, placing fifth to earn first-team All-Conference honors. This will mark his first appearance on the national stage.
Robert Fischer (So.) – Fischer has an average score of 79.8 through 18 rounds this season. He placed fourth at +13 in the St. John Fisher Spring Invite in April and sixth at +13 in the St. John Fisher Invite in September. Fischer was among the five Cardinals who competed in the 2025 NCAA DIII Championship Tournament.
Cristos Theodore (So.) – Theodore has played in three tournaments and is averaging 87.5 strokes per round. This will mark his first appearance in the national tournament.