Men's Golf Finish Season at the NAIA National Championship at TPC Deere Run

Reinhardt University finished 13th at the 74th Annual NAIA Men's Golf Championship, posting a four-round team score of 64-over par at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. The Eagles advanced through the 29-team field's two-round cut, climbed as high as eighth during the tournament, and were led individually by junior MJ Hodge, who placed 33rd at 16-over.

Oklahoma City won the team title at 33-over, leading most of the event, while Friends University finished second at 35-over. Hastings placed third. Reinhardt's path through the championship stood out because the Eagles were among the 15 teams that survived the cut from an opening field of 29 programs and 159 individual golfers in the four-round event played on the par-70, 6,703-yard layout.

Hodge delivered Reinhardt's best finish and one of its best rounds of the week. After opening with rounds of 10-over and 6-over, he responded with a 3-under-par third round before closing at 3-over, finishing the tournament at 16-over. That third-round surge helped push Reinhardt up the team leaderboard and kept Hodge atop the Eagles' individual standings.

Trey Schmidt followed closely behind, finishing 43rd at 17-over after rounds of even par, 3-over, 4-over, and 10-over. Schmidt was positioned inside the top 10 early in the tournament before slipping back late. Pride Dyer added a 20-over total and placed 53rd with steady improvement in the middle rounds, while Griffin Latimer finished at 22-over and Zane May at 24-over to round out Reinhardt's scoring group.

Beyond the final standings, Reinhardt also collected postseason recognition. May, Latimer, and Schmidt were named to the 2026 NAIA PING All-Region Team, and Eagles head coach Evans Nichols was selected as a finalist for the 2026 NAIA Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award.

For Reinhardt, the week was defined by making the championship cut, briefly moving into the top eight, and getting a standout third round from Hodge before settling into 13th place at one of the NAIA's deepest events. The Eagles leave Silvis with a national tournament finish, three all-region selections, and a performance that showed they could contend deep into the week.

The season wraps up with tons of success gained throughout the 2025-26 school year.  The team won its second AAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the second year in a row. Dyer and May battled it out in a two-hole playoff to see who would be awarded the AAC Golfer of the Year, and Latimer kept the streak of AAC Freshman of the Year going.  The team ranked #2 in the NAIA for most of the season and bounced between the top five throughout. All golfers can return for another season, and the talent waiting in the wings will be ready to keep things going once a spot opens for them. It is a program that is in great shape and should continue to succeed in the years to come!