Razorbacks Finish 19th at NCAA Championships; Gomez Advances
CARLSBAD, Calif. – The sixth-ranked Arkansas men’s golf team flirted with advancing to the fourth and final round before ultimately finishing 19th (874 / +10) after an even-par round Sunday at the NCAA Championships, played at the par-72 Omni La Costa Resort – North Course. However, sophomore Gerardo Gomez tied for 22nd and will compete in a two-man playoff Monday in hopes of advancing to the fourth and final round.
The Razorbacks started the day in a tie for 20th and were looking to finish among the top 15 teams to advance. The Hogs were tied for 16th late in the round but were six strokes from the cut line. Gomez and Cam Smith had a couple of late birdies, but Arkansas, which started on hole 10, played its 16th hole at 2-over and its 17th hole at 1-over. That, combined with LSU firing a 16-under final round to move up 15 spots into a tie for 12th and Tennessee jumping two spots into a tie for 12th, ended the Razorbacks’ season.
However, Gomez will be in a 2-man playoff Monday for a chance to play in the fourth and final round, as the top nine individuals not on an advancing team earn a berth to the fourth round. He and Arizona State’s Connor Williams are 2-under after 54 holes and are tied for ninth among the top individuals not on an advancing team. The playoff will start on the par-3, 16th hole at 8 am (PT).
“Unfortunately, we dug ourselves too deep a hole yesterday,” head coach Brad McMakin said. “But I couldn’t be more proud of how this team fought today and gave us a chance to advance. Our guys can take pride that they gave it all they had.
“While we didn’t get the result we were hoping for, I want to thank this group for an incredible season. We won three times, set a bunch of records and it was just a great group to coach. Few, if any, players loved representing the Razorbacks more than John (Daly II) and he did so with so much class. He will be missed. We will reflect and celebrate this season but will soon turn to the page for next year.”
Arkansas started round three on hole 10 and Cam Smith opened with a birdie en route to a team-best 69. He dropped a shot on the difficult 12th, a 250-yard par three into a stiff wind. The junior bounced back with a birdie on his fourth hole and a birdie on 18 to make the turn at 2-under. He offset a birdie on his 11th hole with a bogey on his 12th and repeated that on his 15th and 16th holes. Then, on his final hole, the difficult par-4, 9th, Smith stuck his approach shot close and tapped in the birdie putt for his 69. Overall, Smith climbed 44 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 58th (73-76-69=218 / +2).
Gomez moved up 21 spots into a tie for 22nd (70-74-70=214 / -2). He opened with four pars before suffering a bogey on his fifth hole, the par-4, 14th. The sophomore played his final 13 holes bogey-free with birdies on his 8th, 15th and 17th holes. With his 2-under round, Gomez shot under par in 13 of his last 15 holes.
John Daly II had a solid round going, sitting at 1-under through 15 holes, but had bad breaks on his 16th and 17th holes to finish with a 74. He tied for 109th (76-75-75=224 / +8). Erich Fortlage tied for 98th (71-74-77=222 / +6). Niilo Maki-Petaja played the third round after serving as an alternate in the first two rounds. The junior fired a 3-over-75, playing his last 11 holes at even par.
2026 NCAA Championship
Stroke Play: May 29-June 1 (Fri-Mon.)
Location: Omni La Costa Resort – North Course || Carlsbad, Calif.
Par: 72 || Yards: 7,538 yards
Host: Texas
Results Thru Rd3:
1 #1 Auburn 284-272-286=842 / -22
2 #3 Texas 287-277-281=845 / -19
3 #11 Vanderbilt 287-277-291=855 / -9
T4 #30 UCLA 280-289-287=856 / -8
T4 #12 Arizona 287-285-284=856 / -8
T4 #5 Oklahoma State 295-274-287=856 / -8
7 #10 North Carolina 287-288-283=858 / -6
8 #29 Duke 286-286-291=863 / 14
9 #16 Oklahoma 292-284-288=864 / E
T10 #2 Florida 291-290-284=865 / +1
T10 #4 Virginia 288-284-293=865 / +1
T12 #42 San Diego 286-291-298=866 / +2
T12 #15 Stanford 291-286-289=866 / +2
T12 #7 LSU 303-293-270=866 / +2
T12 #18 Tennessee 292-287-287=866 / +2
16 #14 Pepperdine 285-290-293=868 / +4
17 #37 Mississippi State 298-294-279=871 / +7
18 #22 Brigham Young 296-290-287=873 / +9
19 #6 ARKANSAS 288-298-288=874 / +10
20 #23 Georgia 292-291-293=876 / +12
21 #13 Arizona State 291-293-293=877 / +13
22 #39 Arkansas State 295-287-297=879 / +15
23 #40 Purdue 296-295-289=880 / +16
24 #33 Louisville 294-296-291=881 / +17
25 #20 Texas A&M 299-289-294=882 / +18
T26 #9 Ole Miss 303-293-288=884 / +20
T26 #56 Chattanooga 294-285-305=884 / +20
28 #57 Memphis 301-293-293=887 / +23
29 #28 USC 297-300-293=890 / +26
30 #26 Florida State 307-292-300=899 / +35
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