The stage is familiar and the experienced field is teeing off at the 2026 Big West Men’s Golf Championship at La Quinta Country Club, poised to use that knowledge base to keep shaving off strokes from previous year’s scores as teams battle to go low for the title.
Now in its sixth consecutive iteration at the 7,056-yard, par-72 course in the desert, 10 Big West teams will be competing May 3-5 for the league’s automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Regional field and the top individual will earn an exemption into the national postseason.
Playing 54 holes of five-count-four stroke play over three days on the bermuda track known for impeccable course conditions to provide a pure and pristine quality of play, the Championship tees off on Sunday at 10 o’clock with top-seeded Long Beach State alongside No. 2 seed UC San Diego and third-seeded Cal Poly.
The Beach enter as the clear favorite, ranked No. 28 in the nation by Clippd and 27th in the latest GCAA coaches poll. LBSU is seeking a fourth consecutive Big West title, a milestone reached only twice before in conference history. Their lineup depth and experience may be their greatest advantage heading into the week.
Defending individual medalist
Krishnav Nikhil Chopra, who tied The Big West 54-hole record in 2025, opens the championship in the No. 5 position for the squad. Senior
Jaden Huggins, graduate student
Steen Zeeman and senior
Jack Cantlay hold the middle three positions in the lineup. Senior
Alejandro De Castro Piera, ranked No. 27 nationally, anchors the top spot after a season that has included one victory, five top-three finishes, and back-to-back Golfer of the Month honors thus far.
Triton
Nathan Tseng took home individual honors at the Pearl at Lalauao Invitational in the fall and Cal Poly’s
Rafael Bobo-Lloret claimed the victory at the Bill Cullum Invitational in February as the two earned monthly distinction. The duo both see themselves in the 10:30 a.m. grouping.
In the opening round’s featured pairing, de Castro Piera will tee off with Triton
Davis McDowell and Mustang
Nolan Kuszyk at 10:40 a.m. to round out the first wave. Back from injury after missing nearly the entire 2024-25 season, McDowell opened the senior campaign for UCSD with a wire-to-wire win at the Ram Masters Invitational in the fall.
The second wave features UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and Hawai'i off the tee at 10:50 a.m. Twosomes of Cal State Fullerton and CSUN open at 11:40 a.m., with UC Riverside and UC Irvine rounding out the pairings beginning at 12:30 p.m.
UCSB's
Dylan Ma—last year’s runner-up—will compete out of the No. 3 position for the Gauchos. For the Titans, two of 2025’s top-5 finishers and All-Tournament team members
Will Tanaka and
Giacoma Comerio are back in the lineup this season with eighth place finishers
Rei Harashima of UC Irvine and CSUN’s
Liam Judkins ready to make another run. Harashima is looking for a third straight stellar finish after a third place showing in 2024.
All told, 28 golfers from last season’s field are in this year’s starting five, over half of the 50 player field. More were alternates or on previous season’s squads with some familiarity seen on every roster.
Teams will be repaired based on Sunday scores, with low scores again going off beginning at 10 o’clock. With tee times again determined by standings, Tuesday’s final round sees a split tee start at 8 a.m., as the leaders take to the course beginning at 8:50 a.m., with a championship on the line.
Spectators are welcome, and the event is free and open to the public. Live scoring will be available throughout the event via
scoreboard.clippd.com.
Each year at La Quinta has seen under-par team scores, starting with a six-under 858 in 2021. Strokes have been shaved off the tally in successive seasons, with LBSU shattering the Championship record last year with a combined 22-under 842 besting the field by five strokes.
Can the Beach do it again and make it four in a row? Can someone else make a challenge at the top of the leaderboard to stop the streak and claim superiority? On Tuesday afternoon, the picture will come into focus in the Coachella Valley.