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
Photo by: Jayden Todd
Lopes card 20 under, lead NGI after day 2
5/23/2026 4:55:00 PM | Men's Golf
Lauritzen, Rengardt both shoot 7 under 65’s
MARICOPA, Ariz. – Grand Canyon men's golf completed round two of the National Golf Invitational Saturday afternoon where par seemed too high of a score on a day where the squad shot a 20 under, 268.
That 268 put the Lopes ahead by eight strokes over Missouri in first place, totaling a 37 under after two days at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes course.
The course has favored the Lopes in recent seasons, seeing some of the lowest scores in program history including a 64 by junior Gavin O'Neill in yesterday's first round. GCU tallied 31 birdies with an eagle for good measure and lead the 10-team field with 54 birdies for the week.
The birdie train began at the hands of sophomore Nixon Lauritzen, who in his first collegiate round ever in the fall of 2024, tied the program single round low of 63 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes. The California native finished with a second round 65 with an electrifying front nine that included six birdies.
His back nine was a continuation of the front, totaling birdies on No. 10 and 11 for an eventual five straight between holes 7-11. He birdied No. 13-14 and was 9 under through 14 holes, gaining closer to Wyoming's Brody Leid, who leads the tournament at 14 under.
Lauritzen's round ended with a double bogey on the par 4, 18th, but didn't take away from having more birdies (10) than pars (6) and moving into solo second with the final round tomorrow.
With one 7 under round in the books, the Lopes added another in sophomore Erik Rengardt. After a 1 over first round, Rengardt went 2 under on the front nine with a 5 under back nine that included an eagle and three straight birdies between holes 15-17, all of which were a different par (4,5,3). The Swede had the biggest jump of any player in the field, moving up 24 spots to a tie for 12th at 6 under for the tournament.
O'Neill's day saw four birdies and a 2 under total, putting himself 10 under for the tournament and right there at the top of the leaderboard in a third-place position, one shot back of Lauritzen.
Sophomore Matthew Diehl began to heat up on the back nine himself, totaling three birdies in a five-hole stretch to log a 4 under day, now 5 under and tied for 19th. Classmate Mans Boje had six birdies, three each on the front and back nine, and shot 2 under for a tied for 12th placement with Rengardt.
The Lopes will look to claim the team trophy title Sunday in its first ever appearance in the NGI. The individual winner earns a PGA Tour event exemption later this season in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship Oct. 22-26 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southhampton, Bermuda.
The first Lope tees off tomorrow morning at 8:50 a.m. in the final round of the 2025-26 season.
That 268 put the Lopes ahead by eight strokes over Missouri in first place, totaling a 37 under after two days at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes course.
The course has favored the Lopes in recent seasons, seeing some of the lowest scores in program history including a 64 by junior Gavin O'Neill in yesterday's first round. GCU tallied 31 birdies with an eagle for good measure and lead the 10-team field with 54 birdies for the week.
The birdie train began at the hands of sophomore Nixon Lauritzen, who in his first collegiate round ever in the fall of 2024, tied the program single round low of 63 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes. The California native finished with a second round 65 with an electrifying front nine that included six birdies.
His back nine was a continuation of the front, totaling birdies on No. 10 and 11 for an eventual five straight between holes 7-11. He birdied No. 13-14 and was 9 under through 14 holes, gaining closer to Wyoming's Brody Leid, who leads the tournament at 14 under.
Lauritzen's round ended with a double bogey on the par 4, 18th, but didn't take away from having more birdies (10) than pars (6) and moving into solo second with the final round tomorrow.
With one 7 under round in the books, the Lopes added another in sophomore Erik Rengardt. After a 1 over first round, Rengardt went 2 under on the front nine with a 5 under back nine that included an eagle and three straight birdies between holes 15-17, all of which were a different par (4,5,3). The Swede had the biggest jump of any player in the field, moving up 24 spots to a tie for 12th at 6 under for the tournament.
O'Neill's day saw four birdies and a 2 under total, putting himself 10 under for the tournament and right there at the top of the leaderboard in a third-place position, one shot back of Lauritzen.
Sophomore Matthew Diehl began to heat up on the back nine himself, totaling three birdies in a five-hole stretch to log a 4 under day, now 5 under and tied for 19th. Classmate Mans Boje had six birdies, three each on the front and back nine, and shot 2 under for a tied for 12th placement with Rengardt.
The Lopes will look to claim the team trophy title Sunday in its first ever appearance in the NGI. The individual winner earns a PGA Tour event exemption later this season in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship Oct. 22-26 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southhampton, Bermuda.
The first Lope tees off tomorrow morning at 8:50 a.m. in the final round of the 2025-26 season.
Players Mentioned
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