Haygood Prevails in Playoff to Claim the Sea Best Invitational Title, Knights Place Fourth Overall

ATLANTIC BEACH, Florida - In the frigid conditions at the Atlantic Beach Country Club, senior Chase Haygood stepped up to the challenge and, with ice in his veins, prevailed in a playoff to become champion at the 2026 Sea Best Invitational.

Sitting in a tie for ninth entering the day, Haygood set at one-under-par after the first seven holes, looking for a spark to put himself among the leading pack. What followed was an incredible run of play on the final 11, tallying a birdie on holes eight and nine before adding four more to conclude the round seven-under-par overall.

The most crucial birdie came on the 18th, which gave him a buffer before Texas A&M’s Aaron Pounds matched Haygood’s 65 to force a winner-take-all playoff. On the third hole, which gave the Knight his lone bogie of the afternoon, was the decider.

Keeping his composure when it mattered most, Haygood flipped the script, securing a par for the remarkable win and his second-career collegiate title.

The tenured Knight led an overall brilliant round on the course for UCF, with the Black and Gold improving two spots for a fourth-place finish and an overall score of 566 (two-under-par).

Starting the day in sixth after a promising first round of play, the Knights suffered six bogies across the first three holes to drop them in the leaderboard and leave plenty of catching up to do. 

The Knights bounced back to close the front nine, as both Haygood and Haynes birdied before the turn, with the latter adding two more on holes 10 and 11 for three consecutive, shooting him up the standings into the top-40. 

Haynes wasn’t done, however, as the Florida native added two more for six total on the day, positioning himself 20th with a four-under-par round and an overall score of 143.

Positioning himself just ahead of Haynes, Clemente Silva carded an even-par second round to maintain his overall two-under-par final, as the Chilean solidified his first top-10 placement of the 2025-26 season.

Just outside the top-50, Hans Risvaer matched his four-over-par first round on Tuesday, tallying a pair of birdies in the process. While first-year Knight Cam Goldknopf couldn’t find his stride throughout the second round, finishing the day eight-over-par, he did author his second eagle of the tournament, a competition best, on the 14th hole (par four).

Playing as an individual, freshman Jakub Hejlek improved upon his Monday outing, carding a 76 for round two.

UP NEXT

The Black and Gold will look to build upon their excellent performance at the Sea Best Invitational in just two weeks, as the Knights will travel to the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, from February 14-15.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS

UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.