Completed Event: Men's Golf at John A. Burns Intercollegiate on February 12, 2026 , , 13th of 19
M Golf
at John A. Burns Intercollegiate
13th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, May 3
Omni Tucson | Tucson, Ariz.
Grand Canyon
vs
Mountain West Championship
Photo by: Jayden Todd
Sophomores surge GCU within 1 stroke of MW lead
5/4/2026 3:08:00 PM | Men's Golf, Paul Coro
Lopes' Boje enters Tuesday's final round as co-leader at 10 under
TUCSON, Ariz. – If Grand Canyon men's golf wins the Mountain West Championship on Tuesday, it will be because of what the Lopes did for the past two weeks before arriving on Catalina Golf Course at Omni Tucson National Resort.
The confidence that GCU built with its starting lineup clicking at once over recent practice rounds has translated to the first two rounds of the conference tournament, where the Lopes enter Tuesday's final round at 26 under par and one stroke behind leader UNLV. All four of the Lopes' second-round scorers are sophomores, including Måns Boje putting together back-to-back 5-under rounds to share the tournament's individual lead.
The top six teams of the MW Championship's 12-team field are separated by nine strokes, with 39th-ranked San Diego State (third place, 22 under) and 21st-ranked New Mexico (fifth place, 19 under) being among the teams behind GCU.
"This last week and a half has just been amazing for all of us," said Lopes sophomore Nixon Lauritzen, who has played two bogey-free rounds to be in sixth place at 8 under. "We've been playing a lot of different golf courses and playing well each time. A lot of us saw it coming in a way. We all called it. We're all playing well at the same time. And here it is, we're one shot back. I think we have a good shot tomorrow."
The fact that GCU did not play ideal golf was even more encouraging, whether it was Boje shaking off two double bogeys to still shoot 5 under, Lauritzen scrambling early to avoid any bogey or Diehl shaking off consecutive bogeys at the turn for a strong finish.
Boje made up for going out of bounds twice Monday by following up each of those holes with clutch play – a 30-foot birdie and a shorter birdie on the 10th and 11th holes and an eagle from the fairway on No. 16. Boje is one of two players in the tournament with two eagles, with Tuesday's coming on a 95-yard lob wedge with backspin to the hole.
"I felt very confident the last couple rounds," Boje said. "I just keep sticking to my process, and I was making a lot of putts today. I was a little unlucky today getting two out of bounds today, but I bounced back. I'm very proud of my mental game to stay in the game.
"The putter was very hot, and I had some good reads. It was just a confident stroke rolling in a lot of putts."
Boje, who is from Sweden, birdied five of his first eight holes Tuesday and shares the tournament lead with the San Diego State duo of Tyler Kowack and Harry Talis. Three others, including Lauritzen, are within two strokes.
"All I want is for the team to win, so I'm just going to play as good as I can to make the team win and advance to regionals," Boje said.
A team effort is positioning the Lopes for that chase with the resurgence of Diehl, who went a 3-over first round to matching Boje's 5-under second round on GCU's 16-under day.
Diehl eagled the par-5 second hole and his putter remained locked in for birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 5. The 5-under start included dropping a 20-foot putt and a pair of 15-foot putts.
"I had a similar start yesterday to today where I thought I was going to shoot low," Diehl said. "At the end of the front nine yesterday, I had a rough time coming in there. Today, instead of my mind going sideways, I kept it focused on the next one and got to the back nine.
"Days like today happen when you're confident. I trust my putter. It's probably the best club in my bag normally. I know that even if I don't hit the best wedge in, I can still make up for it.
Diehl closed with a perfect pitching wedge for a tap-in birdie on the 18th hole, where Lauritzen's birdie from 30 feet stayed on the lip of the cup to prevent GCU from chasing down UNLV.
Lauritzen's 28th par over two rounds started with his first round going to plan Sunday and having to find his game during the second round Monday.
"Two bogey-free rounds is special for me," Laurtizen said. "I held it together and was able to sneak three birdies. A lot of positive takeaways. Having Coach (Mark Mueller) on the bag for me is a game-changer. He keeps me positive. As soon as he comes over and starts helping me, I feel like nothing is going to happen wrong, Like everything's going to be perfect. That's a good feeling to have."
GCU sophomore Erik Renghardt matched Lauritzen's 3-under second round and is 4 under for the tournament, tying him for 20th place. GCU junior Gavin O'Neill shot 1 under without the score being needed and is even for the tourney.
The Lopes will tee off between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday, grouped with players from leader San Diego State and third-place San Diego State. The winner gets an automatic berth to an NCAA regional, which would be a fourth consecutive NCAA regional trip for GCU.
"The starting five has just been playing really good." Diehl said. "All of our confidence is really high right now. Everyone is loving golf, and that's the main thing.
"We're all feeling good, and our mindset for tomorrow is to do the same thing again."
The confidence that GCU built with its starting lineup clicking at once over recent practice rounds has translated to the first two rounds of the conference tournament, where the Lopes enter Tuesday's final round at 26 under par and one stroke behind leader UNLV. All four of the Lopes' second-round scorers are sophomores, including Måns Boje putting together back-to-back 5-under rounds to share the tournament's individual lead.
The top six teams of the MW Championship's 12-team field are separated by nine strokes, with 39th-ranked San Diego State (third place, 22 under) and 21st-ranked New Mexico (fifth place, 19 under) being among the teams behind GCU.
"This last week and a half has just been amazing for all of us," said Lopes sophomore Nixon Lauritzen, who has played two bogey-free rounds to be in sixth place at 8 under. "We've been playing a lot of different golf courses and playing well each time. A lot of us saw it coming in a way. We all called it. We're all playing well at the same time. And here it is, we're one shot back. I think we have a good shot tomorrow."
The fact that GCU did not play ideal golf was even more encouraging, whether it was Boje shaking off two double bogeys to still shoot 5 under, Lauritzen scrambling early to avoid any bogey or Diehl shaking off consecutive bogeys at the turn for a strong finish.
Boje made up for going out of bounds twice Monday by following up each of those holes with clutch play – a 30-foot birdie and a shorter birdie on the 10th and 11th holes and an eagle from the fairway on No. 16. Boje is one of two players in the tournament with two eagles, with Tuesday's coming on a 95-yard lob wedge with backspin to the hole.
"I felt very confident the last couple rounds," Boje said. "I just keep sticking to my process, and I was making a lot of putts today. I was a little unlucky today getting two out of bounds today, but I bounced back. I'm very proud of my mental game to stay in the game.
"The putter was very hot, and I had some good reads. It was just a confident stroke rolling in a lot of putts."
Boje, who is from Sweden, birdied five of his first eight holes Tuesday and shares the tournament lead with the San Diego State duo of Tyler Kowack and Harry Talis. Three others, including Lauritzen, are within two strokes.
"All I want is for the team to win, so I'm just going to play as good as I can to make the team win and advance to regionals," Boje said.
A team effort is positioning the Lopes for that chase with the resurgence of Diehl, who went a 3-over first round to matching Boje's 5-under second round on GCU's 16-under day.
Diehl eagled the par-5 second hole and his putter remained locked in for birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 5. The 5-under start included dropping a 20-foot putt and a pair of 15-foot putts.
"I had a similar start yesterday to today where I thought I was going to shoot low," Diehl said. "At the end of the front nine yesterday, I had a rough time coming in there. Today, instead of my mind going sideways, I kept it focused on the next one and got to the back nine.
"Days like today happen when you're confident. I trust my putter. It's probably the best club in my bag normally. I know that even if I don't hit the best wedge in, I can still make up for it.
Diehl closed with a perfect pitching wedge for a tap-in birdie on the 18th hole, where Lauritzen's birdie from 30 feet stayed on the lip of the cup to prevent GCU from chasing down UNLV.
Lauritzen's 28th par over two rounds started with his first round going to plan Sunday and having to find his game during the second round Monday.
"Two bogey-free rounds is special for me," Laurtizen said. "I held it together and was able to sneak three birdies. A lot of positive takeaways. Having Coach (Mark Mueller) on the bag for me is a game-changer. He keeps me positive. As soon as he comes over and starts helping me, I feel like nothing is going to happen wrong, Like everything's going to be perfect. That's a good feeling to have."
GCU sophomore Erik Renghardt matched Lauritzen's 3-under second round and is 4 under for the tournament, tying him for 20th place. GCU junior Gavin O'Neill shot 1 under without the score being needed and is even for the tourney.
The Lopes will tee off between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday, grouped with players from leader San Diego State and third-place San Diego State. The winner gets an automatic berth to an NCAA regional, which would be a fourth consecutive NCAA regional trip for GCU.
"The starting five has just been playing really good." Diehl said. "All of our confidence is really high right now. Everyone is loving golf, and that's the main thing.
"We're all feeling good, and our mindset for tomorrow is to do the same thing again."
Players Mentioned
Sydney McCray Media Availability | 5.4.26
Monday, May 04
Emily Gonzalez Media Availability | 5.4.26
Monday, May 04
Jada Cooper Media Availability | 5.4.26
Monday, May 04
Natalie Fritz Media Availability | 5.4.26
Monday, May 04