ROCKWALL, Texas (April 21, 2026) – The University of Texas Permian Basin men's golf team closed out the 2026 Lone Star Conference Championship in sixth place after a third-round score of 305 (+17).

It was tough conditions with no sun and sideways rain.

UTPB was paired with golfers from Midwestern State and St. Mary's for the final round of stroke play. The Falcons needed to hold off MSU, which led the tournament with a score of five-under during round two, and StMU, which is ranked No. 8 in the Clippd Scoreboard rankings, to remain in fourth place and qualify for Medal Match play for the first time in program history, but were unable to stay in front of either team.

UTPB (311-289-305; 905; +41) finished sixth while St. Mary's (308-297-296; 901; +37) finished fifth. UT Tyler (301-296-293; 890; +26), Cameron (306-288-300; 894; +30), West Texas A&M (300-294-303; 897; +33) and Midwestern State (319-283-297; 899; +35) advance to the Medal Match round on Wednesday to decide the 2026 LSC Champion.

As a team, UTPB was second in par-3 scoring (31.18; +11) and total pars (170), and was fifth in par-5 scoring (50.2; +1), sixth in par-4 scoring (4.34; +51), and ninth in birdies (23).

"I am extremely proud of our guys for playing hard, playing for every stroke, and just for having a great attitude and a will to win," said Head Coach Paul Chavez. "We did a lot of things right, but we just fell a little bit short this time. Now, we will prepare for potentially heading to regionals and trying to make a run to a national championship berth."

Earning a top-five finish at the LSC Championship for the second year in a row was senior Will Tate (77-69-72; 218; +2), who after becoming just the second Falcon to earn two All-LSC certificates in his career earlier this week, is now the first UTPB golfer to make the LSC All-Tournament Team twice in their career. Tate finished the tournament in third place after shooting even-par during round three.

"Will Tate continues to improve and play some great golf," said Chavez. "I am looking forward to his play at regionals and potentially nationals."

Tate was fourth in the tournament in par-4 scoring (4.10; +3) and was tied for fourth in par-3 scoring (3.00; E).

Junior Ioan Rowe (78-70-80; 228; +12) finished tied for 23rd and dropped 13 spots during the final round after shooting eight-over.

Both Tate and Rowe tied for second in the tournament in total pars (37).

Senior Thonsaeng Nunya (77-75-79; 231; +15) finished tied for 34th and dropped nine spots during the final round after shooting seven-over. He tied for first place in the tournament in par-3 scoring (2.92; -1).

Tate, Rowe and Nunya all improved their finish from a year ago at the LSC Championship. Tate went from a tie for fifth to finishing alone in third, Rowe rose from 51st place to 23rd, a 28-spot improvement, and Nunya went from a tie for 41st place to finishing 34th this year.

UTPB's two newcomers, freshman Laurent Beech (80-75-78; 233; +17) and junior Nizar Bourehim (79-78-76; 233; +17), tied for 39th place. Beech rose three spots during round three after shooting six-over while Bourehim was UTPB's biggest riser during the final round, moving up seven spots after shooting four-over.

Beech was responsible for one of five eagles shot in the tournament.

The Falcons now await their postseason fate as the complete field for the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championships will be announced following conference championships across the country. The top-10 ranked teams in the final edition of the NCAA regional rankings from both the South Central and West Regions will make the regional tournament. If the Falcons advance, they will compete in the NCAA West/South Central Regional on May 7-9 in Stockton, California, at Stockton Country Club.