Presbyterian Wins 2026 Big South Men's Golf Championship
FRIPP ISLAND, S.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Presbyterian College’s
Spence Hagood birdied the second playoff hole in the deciding match to give the Blue Hose a 3-2 victory over No. 2 seed USC Upstate and earn the program’s first-ever Big South men’s golf crown along with the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals on Wednesday. Hagood trailed Upstate’s
Alec Prentice most of the front nine, but rallied with three consecutive birdies to tie the match after 11 holes. The match remained all square until Hagood took his first lead on the 16th hole, but Prentice forced sudden death with a birdie on 18 before Hagood won the match and the championship on the 20th hole.
PC opened with a 1-0 lead following
James Rhodes’ 6&5 win over
Nate Heller in the opening match. Upstate tied it at 1-1 when
Phuthanate Kangwol won the second match over
Gage Gaskins by a 6&5 result. The Blue Hose regained the lead with
Jeep Patrick’s 2&1 triumph over
Jackson Stone in match three. As Hagood and Prentice dueled in extra holes in match four, Upstate’s
Jas Sohal evened the score at 2-2 with his birdie on 18 to finish with a 2UP win over
Richard Anaclerio.
In the morning Semifinals, Presbyterian defeated No. 4 seed High Point, 3-2, as the Blue Hose came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the final three matches and advance to its first Big South Match Play final. Hagood clinched the winning point and the match with a 1UP victory in the fifth match. Patrick gave PC its first point with a 3&1 win in match three, while Anaclerio prevailed 2&1 in match five to knot the score at 2-2.
Upstate reached its second consecutive Big South Match Play final after defeating No. 3 seed Winthrop, 3-2. After the Eagles won the first match, the Spartans jumped ahead 2-1 thanks to Heller’s 3&1 win in match two and Stone’s 4&2 victory in match four. Winthrop tied it in match three, with Sohal winning the deciding fifth match 1UP to send Upstate back to the final.
Match Play Results - Finals
#1 Presbyterian defeats #2 USC Upstate, 3-2
Order of finish:
Match 1 – James Rhodes (PC) defeats Nate Heller (UPST), 6&5 (PC leads, 1-0)
Match 2 – Phuthanate Kangwol (UPST) defeats Gage Gaskins (PC), 6-5 (match tied, 1-1)
Match 3 – Jeep Patrick (PC) defeats Jackson Stone (UPST), 3&1 (PC leads, 2-1)
Match 5 – Jas Sohal (UPST) defeats Richard Anaclerio (PC), 2UP (match tied, 2-2)
Match 4 – Spence Hagood (PC) defeats Alec Prentice (UPST), 20 holes (PC wins, 3-2)
Match Play Results - Semifinals
#1 Presbyterian defeats #4 High Point, 3-2
Order of finish:
Match 1 – Sean Shallat (HPU) defeats James Rhodes (PC), 3&1 (HPU leads, 1-0)
Match 2 – Shlok Jain (HPU) defeats Gage Gaskins (PC), 2&1 (HPU leads, 2-0)
Match 3 – Jeep Patrick (PC) defeats Carter Pitcairn (HPU), 3&1 (HPU leads, 2-1)
Match 5 – Richard Anaclerio (PC) defeats James Hassell (HPU), 2&1 (match tied, 2-2)
Match 4 – Spence Hagood (PC) defeats Burch Harrison (HPU), 1UP (PC wins, 3-2)
#2 USC Upstate defeats #3 Winthrop, 3-2
Order of finish:
Match 1 – Ashton Eubanks (WU) defeats Phuthanate Kangwol (UPST), 3&2 (WU leads, 1-0)
Match 2 – Nate Heller (UPST) defeats Thomas Lamar (WU), 3&1 (match tied, 1-1)
Match 4 – Jackson Stone (UPST) defeats Dylan Park (WU), 4&2 (UPST leads, 2-1)
Match 3 – Waymon Thomas (WU) defeats Alec Prentice (UPST), 1UP (match tied, 2-2)
Match 5 – Jas Sohal (UPST) defeats Mason Tucker (WU), 1UP (UPST wins, 3-2)