MARICOPA, Az. (May 24, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team finished the National Golf Invitational to end the 2025-26 season on Sunday, finishing in ninth place in Maricopa, Az.
UNA was one of 10 teams selected to the tournament in the NGI's fourth year of play. The Lions used four seniors in the five-man starting lineup in Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.
North Alabama shot six-under in the final round to finish one-under for the tournament. Sebastian Bengtsson led the Lions with six birdies as the team had 15 total birdies for the final day.
Senior Xing Luo continued his low shooting with a two-under day that saw three birdies find the hole. He moved up three slots to finish in a tie for 18th after the three rounds of the tournament. After 36 holes the past two days, Luo had eight birdies and bogeyed only one hole, which left pars scattered across the rest.
UNA owned 48 birdies across the three days of play. Bengtsson tied for third at eight-under on par-5s and tied for sixth on par-3s at a 2.92 clip for one-under on those holes. Luo finished in ninth on par-4 holes at 3.90 (-3).
Senior Blake Henriques shot two-under to return to even par at the end of the tournament. The Canton, Ga. native tallied four birdies en route to the 70 scorecard in round three.
Redshirt freshman Luke Davis holed an eagle on hole three with two birdies on the back nine. He finished with a 73 (+1) for the best round of the tournament. Corey Maher closed out the NGI with a 241 total score to finish in 50th.
Bengtsson, Luo, Henriques and Davis all moved up on the final day of the leaderboard. Bengtsson was the highest mover with a jump of six slots.
Grand Canyon grabbed the lead from Missouri yesterday and did not look back. GCU ended with a 52-under score — 14 strokes better than the Tigers who sat in second.
Missouri took second with a 38-under after another nine-under day. Rhode Island landed in third as they finished one-over. Nevada jumped three positions to finish one stroke shy of third. Wyoming finished one stroke behind Nevada at 25-under to round out the top-five.
"(It was a) bittersweet day as we had four seniors play their last tournament," said The Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach Austin Phillips. "Proud of how the guys played in our team's first postseason tournament in Division I history. They represented the university well and set the foundation for years to come. Roar Lions!"
This marks the final tournament for the Lions under Phillips, as he recently accepted the head coach position at Old Dominion. He ends his three-year tenure with a 268-147-9 record and with a top-100 national ranking. The search for North Alabama's next coach begins immediately.
"We are grateful for the leadership Austin Phillips has provided to our golf program over the past three seasons," said UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney. "He has led with integrity, developed our student‑athletes on and off the course, and elevated this program in a meaningful and lasting way. We wish Austin and his family the best as he accepts an opportunity at Old Dominion that brings him closer to home. His success reflects the strong upward trajectory of UNA Men's Golf, and we look forward to building on that momentum as we enter our next chapter."
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