Upcoming Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate on September 19, 2025
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Monday, May 12
Reno, Nev. | Montreux Golf & Country Club
Grand Canyon
vs
NCAA Regional Tournament
Photo by: Nick Macdonald
Diehl ties for 7th at NCAA Reno Regional
5/14/2025 7:57:00 PM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro
GCU misses NCAA Champioonship spot after entering final round in 6th
RENO, Nev. – A two-day stretch of inclement weather broke Wednesday, but the Grand Canyon men's golfers could not get breaks.
Entering the final round four strokes from the final NCAA Championship spot at the Reno Regional, GCU retreated to an 11th-place finish in a pack of six teams (sixth through 11th) separated by seven strokes in the three-round tournament at Montreux Golf and Country Club.
There was newfound sunshine after two weather-delayed days of gusty winds, rain, near-freezing temperatures and even snow. GCU freshman Matthew Diehl was the Lopes' brightest ray, tying for seventh place with national top-20 golfers Ben James of Virginia and Tommy Morrison of Texas.
Diehl's 3-under tournament score was second in line for the one NCAA Championship individual spot out of the Reno Regional, which went to WAC Player of the Year Dane Huddleston of Utah Valley at 5 under.
"I tied with Ben James and Tommy Morrison, and they were the guys that I looked at like, 'Wow, I want to be them when I'm in college,' " Diehl said. "It's cool. I'll definitely take a top-10 finish. Hopefully, I can keep doing this for who knows how long – the rest of my life, honestly. I'm going to keep grinding and try my best."
When teams finished the last three holes of the second round Wednesday morning, GCU was in striking distance in sixth place and 12 over, just four strokes behind fifth place. But after a break to re-cup the third-round holes, the Lopes could not recapture Tuesday's surge that resulted in a 6-under second round.
The Lopes remained in seventh place into the back nine until a late slide among tightly packed teams, ending the college careers for GCU graduate Tommaso Zorzetto and senior Kiko Coelho.
"Everybody felt really good about it, but unfortunately we didn't get off to a great start and never got momentum," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "One day should not neglect a great season and what these guys accomplished."
Diehl bookended his 5-under, bogey-free second round with a pair of 1-over rounds, lamenting a double bogey on the second hole "that I'll never make again."
But his top-10 Reno Regional season is a fitting season to being ranked among the nation's top 150 as a freshman. Diehl called winning the 96-player Desert Mountain Intercollegiate "the best week of his life" in March.
"GCU was everything I expected," Diehl said. "The coaches are amazing. All the professors have been great. All the guys on the teams and people I've met on campus have a lot of good. There are a lot of good hearts at GCU. The more people I met at GCU, the better for me.
"It's definitely going to be sad not having Kiko, Tommaso, Sam (Murphy) and Josh (McCabe) anymore, but I'm grateful for everything this year and I can't wait for next year. We've got some good guys coming in, so we're excited for that."
Diehl and fellow GCU freshman Nixon Lauritzen, friends from junior golf in California, formed one of the best freshman duos in college golf. Their return, along with sophomore Gavin O'Neill, forms a strong nucleus after helping to level up the program this season.
O'Neill bounced back from an 8-over first round to shoot 2-under and 1-under final rounds at the Reno Regional. The 6-foot-3 Irishman was one of only seven Reno Regional players to shoot below par in each of the last two rounds, when he moved up 32 places to finish 30th.
"For Gavin to battle like he did just shows who he is," Mueller said. "He's going to keep getting better."
O'Neill, who made the All-WAC second team this season, will be next season's only returning player with two NCAA regional appearances.
This was the first GCU team to play three players on All-WAC first team with Diehl, Lauritzen and Zorzetto.
"Your heart breaks for a guy like Tommaso, who has been here five years and has been through the ups and downs," Mueller said. "The last two years, he has been a rock for us. We'll always be grateful to have him for five years."
With four top-three tournament finishes, GCU earned the first at-large regional bid in program history and the Lopes' third consecutive NCAA regional trip.
"I want to thank God and everybody at GCU for allowing us to do what we get to do," Mueller said. "I thank the coaching staff and the players. This has been a great year. They had a great season. To get an at-large bid, the program's first, is a really big deal. That is what we're striving to do year in and year out.
"We want to take the next step now. We'll learn from this and keep going."
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Entering the final round four strokes from the final NCAA Championship spot at the Reno Regional, GCU retreated to an 11th-place finish in a pack of six teams (sixth through 11th) separated by seven strokes in the three-round tournament at Montreux Golf and Country Club.
There was newfound sunshine after two weather-delayed days of gusty winds, rain, near-freezing temperatures and even snow. GCU freshman Matthew Diehl was the Lopes' brightest ray, tying for seventh place with national top-20 golfers Ben James of Virginia and Tommy Morrison of Texas.Diehl's 3-under tournament score was second in line for the one NCAA Championship individual spot out of the Reno Regional, which went to WAC Player of the Year Dane Huddleston of Utah Valley at 5 under.
"I tied with Ben James and Tommy Morrison, and they were the guys that I looked at like, 'Wow, I want to be them when I'm in college,' " Diehl said. "It's cool. I'll definitely take a top-10 finish. Hopefully, I can keep doing this for who knows how long – the rest of my life, honestly. I'm going to keep grinding and try my best."
When teams finished the last three holes of the second round Wednesday morning, GCU was in striking distance in sixth place and 12 over, just four strokes behind fifth place. But after a break to re-cup the third-round holes, the Lopes could not recapture Tuesday's surge that resulted in a 6-under second round.
The Lopes remained in seventh place into the back nine until a late slide among tightly packed teams, ending the college careers for GCU graduate Tommaso Zorzetto and senior Kiko Coelho."Everybody felt really good about it, but unfortunately we didn't get off to a great start and never got momentum," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "One day should not neglect a great season and what these guys accomplished."
Diehl bookended his 5-under, bogey-free second round with a pair of 1-over rounds, lamenting a double bogey on the second hole "that I'll never make again."
But his top-10 Reno Regional season is a fitting season to being ranked among the nation's top 150 as a freshman. Diehl called winning the 96-player Desert Mountain Intercollegiate "the best week of his life" in March.
"GCU was everything I expected," Diehl said. "The coaches are amazing. All the professors have been great. All the guys on the teams and people I've met on campus have a lot of good. There are a lot of good hearts at GCU. The more people I met at GCU, the better for me.
"It's definitely going to be sad not having Kiko, Tommaso, Sam (Murphy) and Josh (McCabe) anymore, but I'm grateful for everything this year and I can't wait for next year. We've got some good guys coming in, so we're excited for that."
Diehl and fellow GCU freshman Nixon Lauritzen, friends from junior golf in California, formed one of the best freshman duos in college golf. Their return, along with sophomore Gavin O'Neill, forms a strong nucleus after helping to level up the program this season.
O'Neill bounced back from an 8-over first round to shoot 2-under and 1-under final rounds at the Reno Regional. The 6-foot-3 Irishman was one of only seven Reno Regional players to shoot below par in each of the last two rounds, when he moved up 32 places to finish 30th."For Gavin to battle like he did just shows who he is," Mueller said. "He's going to keep getting better."
O'Neill, who made the All-WAC second team this season, will be next season's only returning player with two NCAA regional appearances.
This was the first GCU team to play three players on All-WAC first team with Diehl, Lauritzen and Zorzetto."Your heart breaks for a guy like Tommaso, who has been here five years and has been through the ups and downs," Mueller said. "The last two years, he has been a rock for us. We'll always be grateful to have him for five years."
With four top-three tournament finishes, GCU earned the first at-large regional bid in program history and the Lopes' third consecutive NCAA regional trip.
"I want to thank God and everybody at GCU for allowing us to do what we get to do," Mueller said. "I thank the coaching staff and the players. This has been a great year. They had a great season. To get an at-large bid, the program's first, is a really big deal. That is what we're striving to do year in and year out.
"We want to take the next step now. We'll learn from this and keep going."
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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