HUTCHINSON, Kansas - Following an action-packed four rounds of play across three days, the UCF men’s golf team secured its best-ever finish at the Big 12 Championship, placing 10th during the 2026 edition with a team score of 1,143 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Hans Risvaer and Chase Haygood paced the squad, each finishing among the top-30 in a stacked field. As a team, UCF excelled on par threes, with an average stroke of 3.21, ranking third overall.
DAY ONE (Rounds One and Two)
With the Black and Gold’s shotgun start beginning on the back four holes, the squad hit the ground running before embarking on the front nine. Haygood and Risvaer, the team leaders in scoring average this season, each birdied holes 16 and 17 to set the tone and put the Knights in an early team lead.
As round one continued, Haygood bounced back after his first bogey of the morning with two consecutive birdies on holes three and four. While Risvaer sustained a bogey on hole three, Cam Goldknopf tallied his first birdies of the week on holes three and seven to put UCF an impressive eight-under-par and five strokes ahead after nine holes.
The Knights continued to the back nine, which proved to be a more challenging test across the board, as it housed seven of the 10 most difficult holes based on scoring average. UCF got a significant boost from Clemente Silva, who, after an even-par showing after the 12 holes, tallied an eagle on 11 to hold the Knights’ firm lead.
While the Knights combined for nine bogies on holes 10-15, a birdie from Lucas Dutartre on 17 put both him and the team at one-under-par. The Frenchman had parred his first 17 holes of the day before breaking through to conclude the opening round, a consistent performance that was a sign of what was to come.
Despite starting round two in a three-way tie for first, the Black and Gold authored their fair share of bogies on the front nine, shifting them a few spots down into fourth as the last nine drew closer. Outside a Risvaer birdie on hole 12, the Knights shot a combined eight-over-par on holes 10 through 12, which had officially become the field’s most daunting stretch as Monday’s action wound down.
Risvaer finished the day even-par and among the top-20, while the Knights regrouped on the final holes to land themselves in sixth place at seven-over-par (567).
DAY TWO (Round Three)
Firmly among multiple top-25 programs entering day two, UCF commenced action with a strong front nine, shooting an even-par performance to sustain its position amongst the leading back. Dutartre, who had stumbled in round two after carding a 69 in round one, bounced back with three birdies on his first seven holes.
However, just as the Knights found their groove, holes 10 through 13 proved to be another roadblock, as a combined score of 14-over-par, which was in line with the rest of the field's struggles to start the back nine, bumped the squad down multiple spots.
Dutartre navigated the sequence with just a single bogie, eventually reprimanding it with a birdie on hole 17 to conclude his day three-under-par and in 20th-place with an overall score of 211 (one-over-par).
As a team, UCF still held a five-stroke lead in eighth, placing itself above No. 34 Utah, No. 10 Arizona State and No. 48 Colorado.
DAY THREE (Round Four)
The Knights produced a balanced effort on the front nine to start the final round, as Silva and Haygood carded even par. In line with the first two days, the first four holes of the back nine came as a challenge once again.
Nine bogies put the Knights in a difficult spot as they tried to conclude the tournament as they started it. While Risvaer and Haygood birdied hole 14, the Black and Gold sustained a decent position to conclude the week in 10th place.
Risvaer and Haygood each paced the Knights with top-30 displays, with a 284 and 286, respectively.
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.