MARICOPA, Az. (May 11, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team has been invited to compete in the 2026 National Golf Invitational in from May 21-24 at the Southern Ak-Chin Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.
 
Hosted by GolfWeek, the National Golf Invitational was introduced in 2023 as the equivalent of the NIT in college basketball.
 
This will be the first team postseason tournament outside of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship that the Lions will participated in since the transition to Division I in 2018.

In its fourth year, the national postseason tournament will span three rounds with 54 total holes and 18 each day. The par-72 course spans 7,323 yards. The first round begins May 22.
 
This year's men's tournament includes an exemption to a PGA Tour event. The individual winner of the 2026 NGI will punch a ticket to the Butterfield Bermuda Championship set for Oct. 22-26 at Port Royal Golf Course in Southhampton, Bermuda.
 
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club was designed by Brian Curley and PGA TOUR veteran Fred Couples in 2002. Originally developed as a private club by private investors, the championship Australian Sandbelt-style golf course sits on 320 acres of land that was once a part of the Ak-Chin's May 1912 reservation before it was removed by Presidential Executive Order in late 1912.
 
Nearly 100 years later, in 2010, the Ak-Chin Community recovered its sacred land when it purchased the golf facility and opened the course to public play. The course currently boasts several coveted accolades, including being included on Golfweek's coveted rankings of the "Top 100 Resort Courses" and "Best Courses You Can Play."
 
In May 2022, the NCAA announced it would allow schools to play in one season-ending event, similar to college basketball's NIT. By July 2022, the inaugural National Golf Invitational was created in a partnership between Golfweek and Ak-Chin Southern Dunes with Golfweek's Lance Ringler serving as the Invitational's tournament director. A committee determined the invitation-only field using both the Golfweek/Sagarin and GolfStat rankings, while also considering teams who had strong regular seasons.
 
"It's an honor to be selected for this prestigious tournament," said The Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach Austin Phillips. "I know the guys will be ready to go and are ready for a great tournament. They have worked hard this season and in their career, so this opportunity is amazing for them. To play for a PGA exemption is what these guys have dreamed for their whole life, so it's a great way to end the year. This senior class was the one that really propelled this program forward, and I'm glad I get to be their coach one more time."

North Alabama is led by a slew of seniors in Sebastian Bengtsson, Xing Luo, Blake Herniques and Corey Maher.

These four players led the Lions to 98 wins over teams this year with remarkable ones such as sixth-place finish at The Prestige tournament. The Lions beat 11 top-100 ranked opponents in this tournament while being tied with one other — five being top-50 teams. North Alabama won out over teams such as No. 25 Wake Forest, No. 34 Clemson, No. 44 Little Rock and No. 46 Colorado, among others in La Quinta, Calif. 

In the Scoreboard Clippd national rankings, North Alabama finished No. 100 across the NCAA. This stands as the first time the team finished their season with a top-100 final designation. The team had two wins this season at the GMAC Invitational and Turtle Point Invite while earning six top-five finishes this season.

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