Razorback MGolf Opens 2025-26 Season at the Vuori Invitational
FAYETTEVILLE – The #8/10 Arkansas Men’s Golf team starts the 2026-27 season Sept. 14-15 by competing in a new tournament – the inaugural Vuori Invitational, played at Rancho Sante Fe (Calif.) Golf Club and hosted by the University of San Diego..
The Vuori Invitational is played just north of San Diego, approximately 10 miles from where the Razorbacks ended last season and hope to end this season – the Omni La Costa Resort, site of the NCAA Championships.
In addition to Arkansas, the field features preseason top 40 teams BYU (#18/23), Southern Cal (#22/27), San Diego State (#32) and San Diego (#38). Rounding out the field are Colorado, Colorado State, Long Beach State, Oregon, Pacific, San Jose State and Tulsa.
Arkansas and San Diego both advanced to last year’s NCAA Championship by placing third and fifth, respectively, at the NCAA Corvalis (Ore.) Regional. Arkansas placed 19th at nationals while the Toreros advanced to the fourth round to place 15th. BYU (18th) and USC (29th) also played in last year’s NCAA Championship.
Individually, the field features preseason All-Americans: first teamer Kihei Akina (BYU) and second teamer Lev Grinberg (Arkansas), as well as honorable mentions Harry Takis (San Diego State) and Jaden Dumdumaya (USC).
While Grinberg is the preseason headliner for the 2026-27 Razorbacks, it will be senior Thomas Curry holding down the #1 spot in the lineup. Curry, who graduated from Arkansas in three years, has been a steady force for the Razorbacks in his career. He posted a 71.93 scoring average last season and was second on the team with four top-10 finishes.
Grinberg is #37 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) thanks to winning the 2026 St. Andrews Links Trophy, which earned him a berth into the 2026 Open Championship. He is a two-time member of Team Europe at the Junior Ryder Cup and played in 10 DP World Tour events, while making the cut three times.
Senior Niilo Maki-Petaja returns for his second season with the Razorbacks. He led Louisiana Tech in scoring his first two collegiate seasons (71.92 cumulative average) and posted a 71.55 scoring average for Arkansas last season to rank third on the team. Maki-Petaja tallied five top-20 finishes.
Junior Gerardo Gomez, ranked #72 in WAGR, is coming off an impressive sophomore campaign. Last year he earned All-American honors and led the team with a 70.67 scoring average, which ranks fourth-best on the UA seasonal list. He recorded five top-5 finishes and 22 of his 33 rounds were par or better. He finished 22nd at last year’s NCAA Championship as he ended the season as one of the hottest players in the country. Gomez had an impressive spring as he shot par or better in 28 of his 24 rounds, including 13 of his last 15 with a streak of 10-straight rounds at par or better.
Sophomore Willie Gordon will be playing in his fifth event as a Razorback – second in the lineup. The Hot Springs native helped Arkansas place third at last fall’s Bearcat Invitational, shooting a 70 in his first collegiate round, and, in the spring, was 15th at the All-American Individual.
Freshman Guus Lafeber will play as an individual. After winning the 2025 R&A Boy’s Amateur Championship, he reached the second round of match play at the 2026 The Amateur Championship and played in the 2026 European Amateur Championship. He was the first Dutchman played in the KLM Open on the DP World Tour in both 2025 and 2026.
Vuori Invitational
Sept. 14-15, 2026
Host: San Diego
Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Par 72 — 7,090 yards
(preseason ranking Golf Channel/Coaches)
#8/10 Arkansas
#18/23 Brigham Young
Colorado
Colorado State
Long Beach State
Oregon
Pacific
#38 San Diego
#32 San Diego State
San Jose State
#22/#27 Southern Cal
Tulsa
ARKANSAS LINEUP:
Thomas Curry (1)
Lev Grinberg (2)
Niilo Mäki-Petäjä (3)
Gerardo Gómez (4)
Willie Gordon (5)
Guus Lafeber (Ind.)
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, X and Instagram.
