VALDOSTA, Ga. (April 23, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team climbed two spots to finish seventh after the conclusion of the final day at the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship hosted at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Ga.
The Lions were one of three teams to shoot under par on Thursday alongside Jacksonville and the team winner, FGCU. The Dolphins and Eagles finished three-under par while the Lions finished one-under for the round.
Junior Andrew Ferworn led the Lions through the entirety of the tournament as he finished in ninth overall. The Houston, Texas native shot 67-72-74 through the three days with 11 birdies and one eagle. He had four different nine-hole stretches that were under-par with a round one front nine of 33 for his lowest. Ferworn finished in fifth on par-5s as he was five-under on those holes.
North Alabama slipped in the second round but had a steady day to elevate into a seventh-place finish. All but Ferworn climbed spots on the final day of the tournament; Xing Luo finished 26th, Sebastian Bengtsson in 30th, Jedd Brady in 35th and Blake Henriques in 62nd.
The Lions had an eagle in every round thanks to Brady, Luo and Ferworn. This number led the field even surpassed field winner, FGCU, who had two. UNA also tied FGCU for least amount of double-bogeys by a team with five — which all came in the second round.
On the final day, The Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach Austin Phillips substituted the senior Henriques in for freshman Arthur Estas. Henriques birdied back-to-back holes on the front nine to highlight his day as he finished eight-over.
For the final round the seniors took the show for North Alabama. Luo (-2) and Bengtsson (-1) shot low for their final conference round of their collegiate career.
Luo started red hot with four straight birdies then ended his career with nine straight pars. Bengtsson had an even-36 through his first nine holes before he sank three birdies en route to a one-under par final nine-hole stretch.
The freshman, Brady, closed his first conference tournament with three birdies to get back to even par or the day. He rose six spots through the final round of play.
FGCU entered the final day with the lead and did not look back as the Eagles finished as the 2026 ASUN Men's Golf Champion with a 15-under through three days.
Stetson nearly faltered late as Eastern Kentucky was on the Hatters' heels. However, Stetson pulled away by one stroke to take second while the Colonels finished in third. Lipscomb took fourth after their four-over day which dropped them one slot on the leaderboard.
North Florida and Central Arkansas steadied and finished in the same spots the teams did the day prior, in fifth and sixth respectively.
North Alabama tied Jacksonville, two of the three teams to finish under-par in round three. The Dolphins climbed three spots from 10th in the final 18.
Austin Peay dropped two spots into a tie with Queens in ninth. West Georgia and Bellarmine assumed their previous positions to round out the field.
"The guys did not give in after yesterday's results," said Phillips. "The team gave us one last under par round in the final round. It is good to see our guys bounce back with better rounds today. Obviously, it is not the result we wanted for the week, but I am proud of our season. These seniors have grown this program so much, and I really appreciate what they have done for North Alabama. We will come back stronger next year and keep going for the first conference title."
Atlantic Sun Men's Golf Championship
Kinderlou Forest Golf Club
Team Leaderboard
1. FGCU 849 | -15
2. Stetson 860 | -4
3. Eastern Kentucky 861 | -3
4. Lipscomb 863 | -1
5. North Florida 867 | +3
6. Central Arkansas 869 | +5
T7. North Alabama 873 | +9
T7. Jacksonville 873 | +9
T9. Austin Peay 877 | +13
T9. Queens 877 | +13
11. West Georgia 899 | +35
12. Bellarmine 910 | +46
North Alabama Golfers
9. Andrew Ferworn 213 | -3
T26. Xing Luo 220 | +4
T30. Sebastian Bengtsson 221 | +5
T35. Jedd Brady 222 | +6
55. Arthur Estas 150 | +6
62. Blake Henriques 80 | +8
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
