Following a sixth-place finish in the Gulf Coast Collegiate Tournament to kick off the 2026 year, the Murray State golf team looked to carry early success into March, where their next two tournaments awaited them.
The team competed against 20 other programs in the People’s Championship on March 12 in St. Simons Island, Georgia. After one round, the team fired 297, good enough for 19th place. Sophomore Trey Wall led the team in round one, with a 1-over-par 72 in 18 holes of play. Junior Lennon Albans sat closely behind for the first day of play, with a 2-over-par 73.
Despite hopes of improving their place in the following days, the Racers wouldn’t see much more production in the tournament. Albans’ play proved the most effective, pacing the team while tying for 43rd place overall. His closest teammates on the board were Wall and junior Rocco Zakutney, who both tied for 80th place. Murray State shot 297-299-294-890 on the week. Following the tournament’s conclusion on March 14, the Racers stood at 20, only a spot away from last place.
Murray State saw much more production in their second tournament of the month. This outing took them to Dickson, Tennessee, where they met 15 other teams in the Austin Peay Intercollegiate Tournament. After a two-under performance in the final round of the week, Zakutney translated his previous tournament’s showing to more individual success, leading the team with a ninth-place finish. He was one of three to finish in the top 25 on the week for the Racers, with Albans and Wall again joining Zakutney at the top. The team finished the tournament shooting 298-284-290-872, good enough for a fifth-place finish out of 16.
Following a finish at the People’s Championship which coach Jacob Miller admitted “did not meet (the team’s) standards,” Murray State responded in Dickson with results on par with many results from previous tournaments in the season. This marks the team’s first top-five finish since the Bubba Barnett Intercollegiate Tournament, which ended on Oct. 7, and stands as the team’s fourth-best performance of the season thus far. Albans continues a streak of high-placing performances, following a February which saw him place in the top 10 at the Gulf Coast Collegiate Tournament. Wall also saw continued success throughout the month, with his top 25 finish being his best performance since the Gulf Coast Collegiate, where he placed 19th.
Following these two tournaments, the Racers now have the rest of March to prepare for their next tournament, the Bluegrass Invitational on April 8 in Lexington, Kentucky.
