May 28, 2026 • by Josh Coles
The men's college golf season reaches its climax tomorrow. After six hard-fought regionals that finalised the field from 81 teams down to 30, the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship gets underway Friday at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California — and with the defending champions, the nation's top-ranked team, and a host institution all in the field, the stage is set for a memorable week.
Our partners at Babygrande Golf have teamed up with Golf Channel to deliver live coverage of the entire event across multiple platforms. You can watch live coverage of the opening three rounds of stroke play HERE
Regional play wrapped up on May 20 across the six sites, and here's who punched their ticket:
Athens Regional: Vanderbilt / Louisville / Auburn / Brigham Young / Georgia / Individual: Malan Potgieter (Louisiana)
Bryan Regional: Texas / Texas A&M / Chattanooga / North Carolina / Tennessee / Individual: Jorge Martin Sampedro (UTRGV)
Columbus Regional: Florida / Stanford / Memphis / Arizona State / Florida State / Individual: Steen Zeman (Long Beach State)
Corvallis Regional: Oklahoma / UCLA / Arkansas / Purdue / San Diego / Individual: Michael Lugiano (Liberty)
Marana Regional: Arizona / Oklahoma State / LSU / Arkansas State / Duke / Individual: William Jennings (Alabama)
Bermuda Run Regional: Virginia / Pepperdine / Ole Miss / USC / Mississippi State / Individual: Jacob Lang (Kentucky)
Auburn (#1) arrive as the team to beat. The Tigers have been the dominant force in men's college golf this season and came into regionals as the top-ranked team in the country. Despite finishing third at the Athens Regional — behind a strong Vanderbilt side — they advance to Carlsbad with confidence, and with plenty of motivation. Auburn won this very championship in 2024 at this same course, beating Florida State 3-2 in the final, and will be eager to reclaim the title that slipped away last year.
Florida (#2) have been right on Auburn's heels all season and arrived into regionals in blistering form. The Gators won the Columbus Regional in dominant fashion — finishing at even par to win by a remarkable 24 shots. Luke Poulter earned individual medalist honors and will be one of the most watched players in the field. Florida are a legitimate threat to go all the way.
Oklahoma State (#5) are the defending champions, having beaten Virginia 4-1 in the 2025 final. The Cowboys advanced from the Marana Regional in second place and will be quietly confident. They now tie Princeton for the third most national championships in men's golf history with 12 titles, and have every intention of making it 13.
Texas (#3) come in as the tournament hosts and were utterly dominant at the Bryan Regional — posting a staggering 45-under par to win by five shots from Texas A&M, with Luke Potter earning medalist honours. The Longhorns are the host institution at La Costa for the third straight year and will feel entirely at home on the North Course. Oklahoma (#16) were equally imperious at Corvallis, winning by 20 shots with a program-record 19-under second round.
Vanderbilt (#11 ) were a statement winner in Athens, topping the regional ahead of Louisville and Auburn — form that will turn plenty of heads heading into stroke play. Virginia and Pepperdine tied for the regional title at Bermuda Run, with both programs arriving in Carlsbad full of confidence.
Luke Poulter (#19, Florida) enters the week as one of the form players in the field after his medalist performance at Columbus, while Luke Potter (#7, Texas) was equally impressive at Bryan. The six individual qualifiers — including Liberty's Michael Lugiano, who earned his spot through a playoff at Corvallis — will be looking to make their mark in the stroke-play rounds.
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa's North Course is the setting once again — a 7,500-yard, par-72 Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner redesign that has hosted the NCAA Championship since 2024 and is locked in through 2028. This is the third consecutive year the Men's Championship has been held here, meaning the course is well-known territory for many of the returning programs. Auburn and Oklahoma State both know what it takes to win at La Costa. The question is who will join them in the history books on June 3.
You can watch more about the vision to bring the National Championship to Omni La Costa HERE