Top-Seeded Razorbacks Open Strong at NCAA Corvallis Regional
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Top-seeded and sixth-ranked Arkansas played the last six holes at 7-under par to move from as low as eighth at one point into a tie for second after 18 holes at the 2026 NCAA Corvallis Regional, played at the par-71 Trysting Tree Golf Club. The Razorbacks are tied for second (275 / -9) with SEC foe and 17th-ranked Oklahoma, each carding an opening-day, 9-under-par 275.
Individually, three Razorbacks – John Daly II, Erich Fortlage and Gerardo Gomez – and tied for seventh, just two strokes off the leaders. The trio each turned in a 3-under 68. Coming down the stretch, Daly was 3-under over the final six holes with birdies on 13, 14 and 17, Fortlage was 2-under with birdies on 16 and 17 and Gomez was 1-under with a birdie on 16.
Washington’s Emil Borrestuen Herstad, who qualified as an individual, leads after 18 holes at -5 (66). Five golfers are tied for second at -4. Daly, Fortlage and Gomez are three of eight golfers tied for eighth at -3.
“It is important to have a solid start,” head coach Brad McMakin said. “Unlike at the SECs, we didn’t put ourselves behind the 8-ball after the first round. Really proud of our guys today. They stuck to their plan and put us in a good spot for the next two days. However, we can’t relax. There are a lot of really good teams within striking distance and teams like Texas Tech and UCLA are capable of going low.
“When we first arrived, we thought this course could be easy because it is wide open,” McMakin added. “But it is long and the greens are fast, which is a lot like playing at the Blessings and the way we like courses to be. We are a great ball-striking team and we put ourselves in good spots on the greens.”
Purdue, ranked #43 and entering as the #8 seed, also finished strong to sit atop the leaderboard at -12 (272). The Boilermakers were 8-under after the first seven holes, but had three bogeys on holes 8 and 9, and were -5 at the turn. Purdue rallied to play the back nine at -7 (eight birdies and one bogey) to shoot past clubhouse leaders Arkansas and Oklahoma and lead the 13-team field after round one. Host Oregon State is fourth at -8, while Charlotte and San Diego are tied for fifth at -4.
Daly opened with birdies on holes 2 and 3 before dropping a shot on 4. He made the turn at -1 after a birdie on 7 and a bogey on 9. He opened the back nine with a bogey on 10 to fall to even for the day. However, the senior reeled off birdies on holes 13, 14 and 16 for his opening-round 68.
Fortlage struggled early with bogeys on holes 3 and 4. The sophomore righted the ship to play his final 15 holes bogey-free with birdies on holes 5, 6, 11, 16 and 17 for his 68.
Gomez was bogey-free and 4-under after 10 holes with birdies on holes 6, 8, 9 and 10. He dropped two shots with bogeys on holes 11 and 12 but carded a birdie on 16 for his 68.
Cam Smith opened with birdies on holes 1 and 3, had bogeys on holes 4, 9 and 12, then birdied hole 17 to shoot an even-par 71 (T-35). Thomas Curry was 2-over (73) on Monday and is tied for 60th.
Round two of the 54-hole Regional is set for Tuesday (May 18).
NOTES:
• The 275 is the fourth-best round by Arkansas at an NCAA Regional and the second-best opening round, trailing a 266 in 2023, which ties for the second-lowest opening round in NCAA Regional history.
• For the second time in the 32 times Arkansas has played in an NCAA Regional, three players – Daly, Fortlage and Gomez – shot at least 68 in the opening round. The other was in 2023 when Segundo Oliva Pinto (65), Wil Gibson (65) and Manuel Lozada (67) opened the Salem (S.C.) Regional.
2026 NCAA Corvallis Regional
Dates: May 18-20 (Mon.-Wed.)
Host: Oregon State
Location: Corvallis, Ore. || Trysting Tree Golf Club
Par: 71 || Yards: 7,384 yards
Rd1 Results (Top 5 teams after Rd3 advance to NCAA Championship):
1 #43 Purdue 272 / -12
T2 #6 ARKANSAS 275 / -9
T2 #17 Oklahoma 275 / -9
4 #60 Oregon State 276 / -8
T5 #42 San Diego 280 / -4
T5 #19 Charlotte 280 / -4
7 #93 Xavier 281 / -3
T8 # 80 Liberty 282 / -2
T10 #7 Texas Tech 283 / -1
T10 #30 UCLA 283 / -1
T12 #31 Notre Dame 287 / +3
T12 #151 Sacramento State 287 / +3
For more information on Arkansas Men’s Golf, follow @RazorbackMGolf on Twitter.
