Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. -- Senior Ryan Sam sits third on the individual leaderboard following a first-round 69 while the Youngstown State men's golf team is in fifth after Saturday's opening round of the 2026 Men's Golf Championship at Mission Resort + Club.
Sam, YSU's lone senior and native of Canfield, Ohio, led his squad with a three-under-par round of 69 in Saturday's opening round at Mission Resort + Club's El Campeon Course. The senior's opening session at his fourth and final Horizon League Championship featured nine pars and six birdies as he fired a two-under-par 33 on the front nine after starting his round with a one-under-par 36 on the back nine.
Sam is three shots back of first-round leader Nick Holder of Purdue Fort Wayne, who turned in a career-low round of 66 on Saturday to seize the individual lead. Mason Haupt of Green Bay is in second place after carding a four-under-par score of 68 in the tournament's opening round.
Youngstown State is fifth on the team leaderboard after posting a single-round score of 294 (+6) on Saturday. Purdue Fort Wayne holds the first-round advantage after recording a 285 (-3) while Green Bay is just a stroke back in second place after a 286 (-2). Top-seeded Wright State is currently third following a first-round 287 (-1) while Oakland is fourth after posting a 289 (+1).
Detroit Mercy and Cleveland State each carded a 295 to sit just a shot back of YSU in a tie for sixth place, IU Indy (300) is eighth, Northern Kentucky (301) is positioned ninth and Robert Morris (308) rounds out the team field in 10th.
A trio of Penguins turned in a first-round score of 75 in Saturday's opening round in the Sunshine state. Michael Porter, Jake Ryan and Nolan Shilling are each tied for 27th on the individual leaderboard.
Porter's opening round on El Campeon included 11 pars and a pair of birdies coming at No. 1 and No. 4.
Ryan carded 13 pars and a birdie at the par-four No. 6 in his first round in Florida. The junior shot an even-par score of 37 with a stretch of nine straight pars on the back nine after beginning his round on No. 10.
Shilling's opening session featured 10 pars and four birdies as he tallied an even-par 37 on the back nine.
Jordan Kish is tied for 40th after a first-round score of 78 on Saturday. The sophomore carded nine pars and a pair of birdies coming at No. 14 and No. 18 during a two-under-par 35 on the back nine.
Youngstown State is scheduled to start its second round of the 2026 Horizon League Men's Golf Championship on Sunday with tee times beginning at 12:50 p.m. Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament via Scoreboard by Clippd.
For the latest news and updates throughout the 2026 Horizon League Golf Championships, follow @YSUMensGolf on X and Instagram.
