CHANDLER, Ariz. – Santa Clara men's golf won the 2026 Bomb Darts Birds Collegiate in record fashion on Tuesday, holding off New Mexico State for a three-stroke victory. The Broncos shot 15-under 273 in the final round at the par 72 Whirlwind Golf Course and smashed the previous 54-hole program record with a final total of 50-under 814. The team title is the third for head coach Andrew Larkin in his seven years at the helm and is the Broncos' first since capturing the 2024 Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate.

Santa Clara entered the day with one-stroke lead over the Aggies, but briefly dropped behind after New Mexico State got off to a strong start in the final round. However, the birdie putts continued to fall SCU's way and the Broncos pushed ahead to mount a four-stroke advantage with just a few holes to play out. 

Making his collegiate debut, freshman Ryan Xie was nothing short of outstanding from start to finish. The Auckland, New Zealand, product tallied a 54-hole total of 15-under 201 - tied for the best score to par in program history.

Xie and junior Emil Nielsen each shot 6-under par in the final round to help carry the Broncos to the title. Nielsen, who finished just behind Xie at 14-under, matched his career-best finish by tying for fourth. His 54-hole total is tied for the fourth-lowest in program history.

Another newcomer making his Bronco debut in impressive fashion was Jared Abercrombie, who closed out his time in the desert with a 1-under 71 to finish 12-under 204, good for 10^th place among the field of 81 players. J.P. Odland shot 2-under 70 in the final round to hold on to a tie for 29^th while Matt Robles was 3-over to tie for 59^th at 2-under 214. Jack Hayden, playing as an individual, also shot under par in the final round with a 2-under 70 to move into a tie for 65^th.

ROUND HIGHLIGHTS:

• Santa Clara's 50-under par surpassed the team's total at the 2023 White Sands Bahamas Invite of 45-under for the best in program history. 
• Xie's 15-under 201 is tied with teammate J.P. Odland (2024 Alister Mackenzie Invite) and Hayden Sheih (2017 The Jackrabbit) for the lowest 54-hole score in program history. 
• Xie was bogey-free in his final round with six birdie putts, including back-to-back holes on both Nos. 1 and 2, and Nos. 6-7. He had just one bogey for the entire 54-hole tournament. 
• Nielsen tallied seven birdies over the course of his final round with just one bogey on the par-4 No. 4 hole. 
• Odland tallied an eagle on par-5 No. 2 hole and had three birdies on the back nine in the final round. 
• Abercrombie had a mostly clean card on Tuesday with just two bogeys and a trio of birdies. 
• Hayden also tallied five birdies, four of which coming on the back nine, to counter three bogeys and finish the event on a high note. 
• Arkansas State's Jake Lile won individual medalist honors at 17-under 199. 

SANTA CLARA INDIVIDUALS:

Place	Player	Score (To Par)
3.	Xie	68-67-66--201 (-15)
T4.	Nielsen	67-69-66--202 (-14)
10.	Abercrombie	65-68-71--204 (-12)
T29.	Odland	67-72-70--209 (-7)
T59.	Robles	66-73-75--214 (-2)
T65.	Hayden (Ind.)	72-73-70--215 (-1)

FINAL STANDINGS:

Finish	Team	Score (To Par)
1.	Santa Clara	265-276-273--814 (-50)
2.	New Mexico State	270-272-275--817 (-47)
3.	Arkansas State	274-279-268--821 (-43)
4.	#19 Stanford	280-269-278--827 (-37)
T5.	Eastern Michigan	273-285-272--830 (-34)
T5.	USC	269-274-287--830 (-34)
T7.	UTEP	277-277-278--832 (-32)
T7.	Baylor	278-278-276--832 (-32)
T7.	JMU	282-274-276--832 (-32)
10.	Washington State	283-281-270--834 (-30)
11.	ULM	287-271-277--835 (-29)
12.	Cal	278-281-278--837 (-27)
13.	Fresno State	284-285-282--851 (-13)

UP NEXT:
The Broncos are heading north to Ontario, Canada for their next event. SCU will take part in the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Sept. 13-15.