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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Long Beach State graduate student and Big West individual medalist Steen Zeman continued the hot play in May to finish in fifth place at the Columbus Regional to punch his ticket to the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships.  

The Oxnard, Calif., native in a third season with the Beach put together rounds of 73, 68 and 74 to compile a 54-hole total of 2-over 215 to finish as the low individual on a non-qualifying team to advance to compete at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., from May 29-June 3.  

Zeman led the way for the week in Par 4 scoring, finishing at 1-under for the week and a 3.97 stroke per hole average, the only player in the field under par on the middle-distance holes. He also shared the statistical category lead with 11 total birdies, tied with Florida’s Matthew Kress. 

Zeman becomes the first Big West men’s individual to advance to the NCAA Championships final site since 2019 (Zach Smith, UC Santa Barbara) and the first Long Beach State individual since 2012 (Philip Chian). Including the recent successes on the women’s side, this marks four straight seasons that a Big West golfer or team will have advanced through regional play to represent the conference on the national stage.  

Wednesday’s final round from the Ohio State University Golf Club saw a start delayed by two hours and a switch to a shotgun start in an effort to avoid incoming weather. The entire field of 13 teams saw struggles in the round with no team finishing the day with a red number. LBSU, who opened the day in fifth, saw themselves slip to seventh and seven strokes out of the team qualifying position.  

Zeman’s 74 paced the Beach in the closing round, with senior Jack Cantlay finishing with a 4-over 75. Cantlay’s three-day tally of 6-over 219 was good for a tie for 11th individually. Big West Golfer of the Year Alejandro de Castro Piera (+11), junior Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa (+19) and senior Jaden Huggins (+25) rounded out the regionals lineup for the winners of four consecutive Big West Championship titles.  

Impressively, the LBSU fivesome finished in places one through five at The Big West Championship to take all five spots on the All-Tournament Team, a first in league history, dating back to 1970.  

The five teams at the Columbus Regional advancing to compete at La Costa along with Zeman are Florida (E), Stanford (+24), Memphis (+25), Arizona State (+30) and Florida State (+31).