Senior Tyler Kowack led San Diego State University to a third-place finish at the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Men’s Golf Championship, according to a May 5 announcement. The event took place in Tucson, Arizona, and ended the Aztecs’ streak of four consecutive conference titles.
The result is significant as it marks the end of a record-tying run for San Diego State in the Mountain West championship. The team’s strong performance keeps them among the top contenders in collegiate golf.
Kowack shot a final-round score of 66, finishing at 16-under-par for the tournament with a total score of 200—his lowest collegiate mark and one of the best in school history. He began his round with two birdies and an eagle on the eighth hole, followed by more birdies and another eagle on the fifteenth hole before closing with two bogeys. UNLV’s Zach Little secured first place by one stroke after shooting an eight-under-par final round.
Sophomore Harry Takis finished third overall at -13 after recording three birdies and eight consecutive pars to close out his round. Other notable performances from SDSU included Nathan Sampson tying for twenty-ninth at -2, Dylan Oyama tying for thirty-fifth at -1 after finishing strong with four birdies, and Kai Hirayama finishing forty-ninth after going bogey-free through seventeen holes but triple-bogeying his last.
San Diego State finished with a team total of -35 (829), behind UNLV and New Mexico who both posted scores of -39 (825), with UNLV winning in a playoff. Grand Canyon and Wyoming rounded out the top five teams. No other team besides SDSU had recorded lower scores in previous championships prior to this week.
The Aztecs now await their NCAA Regional destination, which will be announced live on Golf Channel.
