Completed Event: Men's Golf at N.I.T. on January 26, 2026 , , 11th of 13
M Golf
at N.I.T.
11th of 13
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Tuesday, March 31
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes | Maricopa, Ariz.
Grand Canyon
at
Cowboy Classic
GCU takes 3rd out of 25 teams in Maricopa
4/1/2026 5:50:00 PM | Men's Golf
Lopes' Lauritzen, Diehl earn top-10 finishes
MARICOPA, Ariz. – A day after making a field best-tying 38 birdies through a round and a half of golf, Grand Canyon stayed hot Wednesday to finish third in the 25-team field that included five nationally ranked programs at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.
LEADERBOARD
GCU finished at 23 under par, totaling a 1-under final round to finish just three strokes from the team title. The placement is a season best for the Lopes and a good momentum advantage heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
No. 28 USC took home the championship trophy at 26 under. The Trojans and Lopes were neck and neck with three holes to play while No. 46 Arkansas State came on late to sneak into second at 25 under.
The third-place showing was four strokes higher than No. 49 UNLV, one of five Mountain West teams in the competition. GCU also placed higher than nationally ranked South Florida (No. 45) and San Diego (No. 42).
Play began Wednesday with the resumption of the second round, which halted Tuesday due to darkness with most Lopes having seven holes remaining.
GCU sophomore Nixon Lauritzen tied for sixth at 8 under par and finished his tournament with 20 birdies, a best among the 128 golfers. Lauritzen birdied three holes over a four-hole stretch on the back nine and came back from a bogey on one to notch two straight birdies on Nos. 2 and 3.
The most impressive birdie came on the par-5 seventh hole, where he hit his ball onto the cart path roughly 40 yards shy of the green. A passing cart kicked the ball into the rough. After a 30-minute ruling, Laurtizen chipped his ball within a foot of the cup and tapped it in for his sixth birdie.
Sophomore teammate Matthew Diehl earned a top-10 showing at 6 under, going 2 over in the third round. Diehl had 14 birdies for his tournament and tied for eighth in the field in that stat category.
The 64 birdies by GCU were a field best.
Lopes sophomore Erik Rengardt made the team's biggest leap up the leaderboard Wednesday, climbing 14 spots into 29th with a 2-under total. Rengardt tied Lauritzen for the third round's best score, 2 under, and notched six birdies.
GCU Sophomore Måns Boje placed 46th (1 over) while junior teammate Gavin O'Neill finished 53rd (2 over). The duo combined for six birdies in Wednesday's final round.
The Lopes had arguably its best par-4 scoring of the season in Maricopa, shooting 11 under on those holes. The second-best team among the 25-team field shot 1 over on such holes.
After three tournaments in a nine-day stretch, GCU takes a break and finishes the regular season when the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate begins April 10 at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix.
LEADERBOARD
GCU finished at 23 under par, totaling a 1-under final round to finish just three strokes from the team title. The placement is a season best for the Lopes and a good momentum advantage heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
No. 28 USC took home the championship trophy at 26 under. The Trojans and Lopes were neck and neck with three holes to play while No. 46 Arkansas State came on late to sneak into second at 25 under.
The third-place showing was four strokes higher than No. 49 UNLV, one of five Mountain West teams in the competition. GCU also placed higher than nationally ranked South Florida (No. 45) and San Diego (No. 42).
Play began Wednesday with the resumption of the second round, which halted Tuesday due to darkness with most Lopes having seven holes remaining.
GCU sophomore Nixon Lauritzen tied for sixth at 8 under par and finished his tournament with 20 birdies, a best among the 128 golfers. Lauritzen birdied three holes over a four-hole stretch on the back nine and came back from a bogey on one to notch two straight birdies on Nos. 2 and 3.
The most impressive birdie came on the par-5 seventh hole, where he hit his ball onto the cart path roughly 40 yards shy of the green. A passing cart kicked the ball into the rough. After a 30-minute ruling, Laurtizen chipped his ball within a foot of the cup and tapped it in for his sixth birdie.
Sophomore teammate Matthew Diehl earned a top-10 showing at 6 under, going 2 over in the third round. Diehl had 14 birdies for his tournament and tied for eighth in the field in that stat category.
The 64 birdies by GCU were a field best.
Lopes sophomore Erik Rengardt made the team's biggest leap up the leaderboard Wednesday, climbing 14 spots into 29th with a 2-under total. Rengardt tied Lauritzen for the third round's best score, 2 under, and notched six birdies.
GCU Sophomore Måns Boje placed 46th (1 over) while junior teammate Gavin O'Neill finished 53rd (2 over). The duo combined for six birdies in Wednesday's final round.
The Lopes had arguably its best par-4 scoring of the season in Maricopa, shooting 11 under on those holes. The second-best team among the 25-team field shot 1 over on such holes.
After three tournaments in a nine-day stretch, GCU takes a break and finishes the regular season when the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate begins April 10 at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix.
Players Mentioned
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