MADISON, Miss. – Arkansas State claimed the 2026 Sun Belt Men’s Golf Championship with a 4-1 victory over Coastal Carolina at Annandale Golf Club on Thursday evening.

This is the Red Wolves third Sun Belt title, having won in 2019 and 2024.

Multiple rain delays and a suspension of play due to darkness during Wednesday’s third round of stroke play forced teams to finish early Thursday morning, delaying match play.

Coastal Carolina finished first at 14-under par, earning the top seed for match play. Arkansas State placed second at 11-under, followed by Southern Miss at 8-under and South Alabama at 1-under, with all four teams advancing to match play.

Coastal Carolina’s Max Bengtsson claimed individual medalist honors at 11-under after 54-holes. Teammate Drew Sykes finished second at 9-under, while Southern Miss’ Benjamin Fernandez and Arkansas State’s Jake Wallis and Thomas Schmidt tied for third at 7-under.

In the semifinals, No. 1 Coastal Carolina defeated No. 4 South Alabama, 4–1. Lucas Arntsen earned the first point with a 3&2 victory, followed by Drew Sykes closing out a 6&5 win on the 13th hole. Jack Lee secured the clinching point with a 5&4 victory, sending the Chanticleers to their second consecutive championship match.

Jake Lile clinched the match for the Red Wolves in the semifinals, finishing with a 3&2 win to get a 3.5–1.5 result for No. 2 Arkansas State over No. 3 Southern Miss. Milan Reed secured his point with a 3&2 win, while Thomas Schmidt took his match 5&4 to send Arkansas State to the championship.

Arkansas State’s first point of the championship came from Reed, who secured a 1up victory on the 18^th hole. Lile put together a dominant performance winning 7&5 to give Arkansas State a 2-0 lead over Coastal Carolina.

The third point would come down to the 18^th green, where Coastal Carolina would miss a four-foot putt to give Jake Wallis the one-up victory.

The Red Wolves will find out their NCAA Regional destination during the selection show on Wednesday, May 6 at 2 p.m. on the Golf Channel.
 
2026 Sun Belt Men’s Golf Championship Match
No. 2 Arkansas State def. No. 1 Coastal Carolina, 4-1
Milan Reed def. Lucas Arntsen, 1up
Jake Lile def. Jack Lee, 7&5
Jake Wallis def. Drew Sykes, 1up
Cole Kirby def. Max Bengtsson, 1up
Harrison James def. Thomas Schmidt, 4&2
 
Team Leaderboard
1. Coastal Carolina, 282, 285, 283 (-14)
2. Arkansas State, 284, 287, 282 (-11)
3. Southern Miss, 288, 284, 284 (-8)
4. South Alabama, 289, 288, 286 (-1)
5. James Madison, 290, 280, 294 (E)
6. Georgia Southern, 297, 288, 286 (+7)
7. ULM, 303, 281, 296 (+16)
T8. Georgia State, 299, 293, 292 (+20)
T8. Troy, 294, 287, 303 (+20)
10. Louisiana, 298, 295, 293 (+22)
11. Appalachian State, 294, 297, 299 (+26)
T12. Texas State, 297, 301, 299 (+33)
T12. Old Dominion, 301, 295, 301 (+33)
14. Marshall, 323, 300, 296 (+55)
 
Individual Leaderboard
1. Max Bengtsson, Coastal Carolina, 70, 66, 69 (-11)
2. Drew Sykes, Coastal Carolina, 70, 70, 68 (-8)
T3. Jake Wallis, Arkansas State, 68, 69, 72 (-7)
T3. Benjamin Fernandez, Southern Miss, 69, 73, 67 (-7)
T3. Thomas Schmidt, Arkansas State, 70, 70, 69 (-7)
6. Hugo Thyr, South Alabama, 71, 68, 71 (-6)