#8 Arkansas Opens Spring Season at Watersound Invitational
FAYETTEVILLE – The eighth-ranked Arkansas men’s golf program will open the spring portion of its 2025-26 schedule at the Watersound Invitational, Feb. 16-18, at the Third Golf Course at Watersound Club (71) in Panama City Beach, Fla.
This will be the second time Arkansas has competed in the 12-team event, but the first time playing the Third Golf Course. The Razorbacks tied for seventh at Shark’s Tooth at Watersound Club in Feb. 2022. In 2022, Arkansas, ranked sixth at the time, faced a 14-team field with 10 teams ranked among the nation’s top 40.
The 2026 Watersound Invitational features four other SEC schools, including host and 11th-ranked Alabama, #3 Vanderbilt, #9 Ole Miss, Kentucky and Mississippi State.
The Razorbacks are coming off a strong fall season. In four events, the Razorbacks posted an .837 winning percentage thanks to a win at the Blessings, a pair of third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish. Of 12 rounds, the team was under par in seven and was -2.8 to par for the fall season.
As he did all fall, John Daly II will play in the #1 spot. The Ben Hogan Award candidate posted a 71.00 fall scoring average with a win and three top 20 finishes.
Gerardo Gomez will play in the #2 spot after several impressive rounds in team qualifying. Erich Fortlage, who led the team with nine rounds at par or better in the fall, also had three top 20 finishes.
Niilo Mäki-Petäjä and Cam Smith round out the lineup. Thomas Curry will play as an individual.
Watersound Collegiate
Host: Alabama
Third Golf Course at Watersound Club
Panama City Beach, Fla.
Par: 71 • 7,138 yards
Format: 5 count 4 ||18 holes each day
FIELD:
#11 Alabama
#8 Arkansas
UConn
#41 Florida State
Kentucky
Michigan State
#9 Ole Miss
Mississippi State
Navy
Ohio State
#43 TCU
#3 Vanderbilt
ARKANSAS LINEUP:
John Daly II (1)
Gerardo Gómez (2)
Erich Fortlage (3)
Niilo Mäki-Petäjä (4)
Cam Smith (5)
Thomas Curry (Ind.)
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, X and Instagram.
