University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Men's Golf Set for NCAA Regional Debut in Athens
5/17/2026 1:09:00 PM | Men's Golf
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss men's golf heads to Athens, Ga., to compete in the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Athens Regional, hosted at the University of Georgia Golf Course, May 18-20.
The field of 13 NCAA-selected teams and 10 individuals will compete in the 54-hole format, 18 holes each day. Teams will play 18 holes a day on the par-71 course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., with Matthew Javier opening play for the Golden Eagles on hole 10 at 8:25 a.m. Monday.
The Southern Miss travel roster consists of Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-Sun Belt Jake Moffitt, Second Team All-Sun Belt Benjamin Fernandez, Third Team All-Sun Belt Javier, Supakorn Amornchaichan, Walker Wise and Grayson Davis as a potential substitution.
Moffitt leads the team in stroke average at 70.97 over 30 rounds, including 21 rounds of par or better — the most on the squad. The Ripley, Miss., native added to that total at the Sun Belt Championship. The freshman has posted a low round of 66 with three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Fernandez is second on the team with a 71.20 stroke average after finishing top-three in the Sun Belt Conference Championship with rounds of 69-73-67 (-7). The junior leads the team in top-five finishes at four while collecting five top-10 finishes with a low round of 65.
Javier shows consistency with a 72.00 stroke average through 30 rounds, earning the sophomore three top-five and five top-10 finishes. The Ontario native holds the lowest round for the Black and Gold with a 64, during the second round of the Everett Buick GMC Classic.
Amornchaichan enters the regional following a top-10 finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championship, shooting a 73-71-71 (-1). The junior carries a 73.54 stroke average through eight events and 10 rounds of par or better. Wise rounds out the lineup with a stroke average of 74.19 with seven rounds of par or better after seven events.
The UGA Golf Course hosted the Web.Com Tour from 2010-13, marking the first PGA Tour co-sponsored event organized and hosted at a college, and has been home to numerous NCAA Regionals. The low five teams and low individuals not on a qualifying team from each regional will advance to the championship at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The other five regional sites are Bermuda Run, N.C. (Bermuda Run Country Club); Bryan, Texas (Traditions Club); Columbus, Ohio (OSU Golf Club); Corvallis, Ore. (Trysting Tree Golf Club); and Marana, Ariz. (The Gallery Golf Club).
The 13-team field is made up of Auburn, Illinois, Vanderbilt, BYU, Georgia, Louisville, Kansas, Northwestern, College of Charleston, Rice, Harvard, Howard and Southern Miss. Oklahoma State took the championship in 2025, it was their third title in the past 20 years.
Fans can follow live scoring by CLICKING HERE. Follow the Golden Eagles on Instagram (@southernmissmg) for the latest information.
Lineup:
Matthew Javier | 8:25 a.m. | Hole 10 | Stroke Average: 72.00 - Low: 64
Walker Wise | 8:36 a.m. | Hole 10 | Stroke Average: 74.19 - Low: 69
Supakorn Amornchaichan | 8:47 a.m. | Hole 10 | Stroke Average: 73.54 - Low: 69
Jake Moffitt | 8:58 a.m. | Hole 10 | Stroke Average: 70.97 - Low: 66
Benjamin Fernandez | 9:09 a.m. | Hole 10 | Stroke Average: 71.20 - Low: 65
