North Carolina men’s golf’s championship run ended in a four-way playoff Monday in the 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship on the North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
Freshman Carson Bertagnole made clutch putts on each of the last four holes of regulation, including an 8-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole of the championship, to propel UNC into a playoff with Stanford, UCLA and Tennessee. Those four teams played off for the final two spots in match play, which begins with quarterfinal and semifinal action on Tuesday.
In the one-hole playoff, which was played on five different holes, Stanford’s five players shot even par, UCLA was 1 over and the Tar Heels and Volunteers were both 2 over.
Bertagnole carded the Tar Heels’ low round of the day, a 1-under 71, and tied for 19th overall at 4-under 284 with rounds of 69-72-72-71. A freshman from Pinehurst, Bertagnole’s 4-under-par finish equals the fifth-best ever in an NCAA Championship by a Tar Heel. It is the lowest 72-hole score to par in an NCAA Championship by a UNC freshman.
Sihan Sandu (72-75-68-73) tied for 32nd at even-par 288, Grant Roscich (77-70-71-72) and Niall Sheils Donegan (69-73-72-76) tied for 42nd at 2-over 290 and Andrew Riley (80-73-72-78) was 79th at 15-over 303.
Auburn (26 under par) and Texas (-23) claimed the top two seeds in the quarterfinals. Vanderbilt (-12) was third, Oklahoma State and Florida tied for fourth (-11) and Arizona (-3) was sixth.
Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout shot 73-67-65-69 to win the individual national title at 14-under 274. He beat Alabama’s William Jennings by a stroke and Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert by two.
Carolina, which finishes tied for ninth, shot rounds of 1-under 287, even-par 288, 5-under 283 and 4-over 292 for a total of 2-under-par 1,150. The 2-under-par finish is the fourth best score to par by the Tar Heels in 50 NCAA Championships.
It is UNC’s fifth top-10 finish in the last six seasons.
Freshman Carson Bertagnole made clutch putts on each of the last four holes of regulation, including an 8-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole of the championship, to propel UNC into a playoff with Stanford, UCLA and Tennessee. Those four teams played off for the final two spots in match play, which begins with quarterfinal and semifinal action on Tuesday.
In the one-hole playoff, which was played on five different holes, Stanford’s five players shot even par, UCLA was 1 over and the Tar Heels and Volunteers were both 2 over.
Bertagnole carded the Tar Heels’ low round of the day, a 1-under 71, and tied for 19th overall at 4-under 284 with rounds of 69-72-72-71. A freshman from Pinehurst, Bertagnole’s 4-under-par finish equals the fifth-best ever in an NCAA Championship by a Tar Heel. It is the lowest 72-hole score to par in an NCAA Championship by a UNC freshman.
Sihan Sandu (72-75-68-73) tied for 32nd at even-par 288, Grant Roscich (77-70-71-72) and Niall Sheils Donegan (69-73-72-76) tied for 42nd at 2-over 290 and Andrew Riley (80-73-72-78) was 79th at 15-over 303.
Auburn (26 under par) and Texas (-23) claimed the top two seeds in the quarterfinals. Vanderbilt (-12) was third, Oklahoma State and Florida tied for fourth (-11) and Arizona (-3) was sixth.
Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout shot 73-67-65-69 to win the individual national title at 14-under 274. He beat Alabama’s William Jennings by a stroke and Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert by two.
Carolina, which finishes tied for ninth, shot rounds of 1-under 287, even-par 288, 5-under 283 and 4-over 292 for a total of 2-under-par 1,150. The 2-under-par finish is the fourth best score to par by the Tar Heels in 50 NCAA Championships.
It is UNC’s fifth top-10 finish in the last six seasons.
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