Completed Event: Men's Golf at 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational on September 20, 2026 , , 9th of 15
M Golf
at 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational
9th of 15
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Sunday, September 20
Independence, Minn. | Windsong Farm Golf Club
Grand Canyon
at
2nd Swing Gopher Invitational
O’Neill places top 20 as Lopes finish opening tourney
9/21/2026 6:22:00 PM | Men's Golf
GCU places 9th out of 15 schools
INDEPENDENCE, Minn. – Grand Canyon's 2026-27 season officially began this week with the 2nd Swing Gopher Invitational at Windsong Farm Golf Club.
The Lopes placed ninth out of 15 programs, shooting 30 over with two players finishing in the top 40 out of 84 golfers.
Georgia won the tournament at 9 under, followed by Oklahoma (3 under) and Rutgers (8 over). GCU finished above Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska in the final standings.
Senior Gavin O' Neill finished best for the squad, going 3 over for the tournament after a 2 under third round. O'Neill had five birdies in his final round, the most of any round played by a Lope. His score finished in a tie for 17th as his eight birdies for the tournament tied for 19th.
Junior Matthew Diehl tied for 40th with a 9 over total, carding an even score in Monday's final round. After a 2 over start through his first five holes Monday, Diehl locked in with pars and a pair of birdies the rest of the way. He moved up 21 spots from his Sunday finish, the largest just up the leaderboard for the Lopes.
O'Neill and Diehl's turnaround play mirrored GCU's play as a whole. After starting 12 over in round one, each round improved by two strokes to eventually claim its first top 10 finish of the season.
Newcomer Ben Keil, a senior, tied for 45th at 10 over, followed by junior Erik Rengardt (T-50th/11 over) and senior Måns Boje (T-62nd/13 over).
GCU totaled178 pars over 53 holes, second most among the 15-team field. Both Diehl and Rengardt had 38 for their respective tournaments.
The Lopes will have quick rest and resume play this weekend at the William H. Tucker Invitational Friday, Sept. 25 for rounds 1 and 2 and Saturday, Sept. 26 for the third and final round.
The Lopes placed ninth out of 15 programs, shooting 30 over with two players finishing in the top 40 out of 84 golfers.
Georgia won the tournament at 9 under, followed by Oklahoma (3 under) and Rutgers (8 over). GCU finished above Iowa State, Minnesota and Nebraska in the final standings.
Senior Gavin O' Neill finished best for the squad, going 3 over for the tournament after a 2 under third round. O'Neill had five birdies in his final round, the most of any round played by a Lope. His score finished in a tie for 17th as his eight birdies for the tournament tied for 19th.
Junior Matthew Diehl tied for 40th with a 9 over total, carding an even score in Monday's final round. After a 2 over start through his first five holes Monday, Diehl locked in with pars and a pair of birdies the rest of the way. He moved up 21 spots from his Sunday finish, the largest just up the leaderboard for the Lopes.
O'Neill and Diehl's turnaround play mirrored GCU's play as a whole. After starting 12 over in round one, each round improved by two strokes to eventually claim its first top 10 finish of the season.
Newcomer Ben Keil, a senior, tied for 45th at 10 over, followed by junior Erik Rengardt (T-50th/11 over) and senior Måns Boje (T-62nd/13 over).
GCU totaled178 pars over 53 holes, second most among the 15-team field. Both Diehl and Rengardt had 38 for their respective tournaments.
The Lopes will have quick rest and resume play this weekend at the William H. Tucker Invitational Friday, Sept. 25 for rounds 1 and 2 and Saturday, Sept. 26 for the third and final round.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, September 22
Saturday, September 19
Friday, September 18
Friday, September 18