For the fifth time in program history, the Mississippi State men’s golf program is competing for an NCAA Championship.
Buoyed by a new program postseason high-water mark of 26-under 826, the Bulldogs locked up a fifth-place finish in the Winston-Salem Regional last week to advance to the NCAA Championship, which begins today at the Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, Calif. Coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on Golf Channel.
Head coach Dusty Smith said he was impressed by his team’s performance in a crowded Winston-Salem Regional.
“I’m really proud of this team for their fight this week,” Smith said. “It’s never easy to get out of NCAA Regionals. We stayed composed all week and trusted our training when we needed it the most.”
The headline performance, however, belonged to Garrett Endicott. The senior added to the historic week with the best NCAA Regional showing by any Bulldog ever, finishing third individually. His final round 5-under 66 helped him complete the event at 14-under 199 — State’s lowest-ever individual score in the NCAA Tournament. Endicott also tied Ford Clegg’s program record of 42 career rounds in the 60s.
Dain Richie followed Endicott with his fourth-consecutive top-10 finish, shooting 8-under overall. He managed three birdies and an eagle for a final round 70, staying under par all three days.
Jackson Skinner snagged his second top-20 of the season, putting together back-to-back 69s after an opening 71.
The 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship runs from today through Wednesday. The field consists of 30 teams who advanced from six NCAA regionals, with the top five teams from each regional making the cut.
Other teams advancing from the Winston-Salem Regional alongside Mississippi State include Pepperdine, Virginia, Ole Miss and USC. Teams that advanced from the Athens Regional include Vanderbilt, Louisville, Auburn, BYU and Georgia.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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