TUCSON, Ariz. -- Senior Tyler Kowack (San Diego/Canyon Crest Academy) finished second overall to lead San Diego State to a third-place finish at the 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Men’s Golf Championship Tuesday in Tucson, Arizona. The third-place showing snapped the Aztecs’ record-tying streak of four consecutive MW championships.
Kowack carded a 6-under-par 66 in today’s final round and finished at 16-under 200 for the tournament on the par-72, 7,194-yard Omni Tucson National Resort (Catalina Course). The 200 was the lowest 54-hole score of his collegiate career and the third lowest by a SDSU golfer in a conference championship.
Kowack got off to a great start with two early birdies and then an eagle on the par-5, 587-yard eighth hole. He followed with back-to-back birdies on the par-5, 511-yard 10th and the par-4, 430-yard 11th to get to 6-under for the round. Kowack bogeyed the par-3, 183-yard 12th, but bounced back with another eagle on the par-5, 610-yard 15th and a birdie on the par-4, 428-yard 16th to get to 8-under for the round and -18 for the tournament. However, consecutive bogeys to close out his day had him settle for a runner-up finish.
UNLV’s Zach Little fired an 8-under 64 to finish at -17, one shot ahead of Kowack.
San Diego State sophomore Harry Takis (Brisbane, Australia), who entered as the fourth-ranked player in the country in the latest Scoreboard powered by clippd computer ratings, came in third at -13 after a bogey-free 69 today. Takis had three birdies through the first 10 holes but ended with eight consecutive pars.
Wyoming’s Brody Leid and New Mexico’s Johnnie Clark each tied for fourth out of the 64 golfers who attempted a shot in the tournament at -12.
The Aztecs, who were 39th in the latest computer rankings, shot a 13-under 275 today and finished third in the 12-team field at 35-under 829. No other team besides SDSU had a lower 54-hole score in MW Championship history prior to this week (San Diego State shot an 804 in 2023 and 810 in 2025). However, No. 21 New Mexico and No. 43 UNLV each finished at 39-under 825 with UNLV claiming the title in a playoff.
Grand Canyon came in fourth at -31, while Wyoming (-30) rounded out the top 5.
Junior Nathan Sampson (Temecula, Calif.) tied for 29th overall at -2 after carding a 2-over 74 on Tuesday. Sampson’s lone birdie came on the par-5, 535-yard second hole. He also had a bogey and a double bogey on the par-4, 428-yard 16th.
Redshirt junior Dylan Oyama (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge HS) finished strong with a 3-under 69, tying for 35th overall at -1. In today’s final round, Oyama had four birdies and a bogey.
Sophomore Kai Hirayama (Arcadia, Calif.) finished 49th at +4 after shooting a 1-under 71 on Tuesday. Hirayama was bogey free and at 4-under through 17 holes, but triple bogeyed the par-4, 469-yard 18th to sign for a 71.
SDSU awaits its NCAA Regional destination, which will be announced at 11 a.m. PT Wednesday live on the Golf Channel.
Mountain West Championship
Day Three Results – May 5, 2026
Omni Tucson National Resort (Catalina Course) - Tucson, Ariz.
Par 72, 7,194 Yards
Team Standings
1. No. 43 UNLV…279-270-276—825 (-39)*
2. No. 21 New Mexico…282-275-268—825 (-39)
3. No. 39 San Diego State…273-281-275—829 (-35)
4. Grand Canyon…278-272-283—833 (-31)
5. Wyoming…275-280-279—834 (-30)
6. San Jose State…277-281-278—836 (-28)
7. Nevada…280-285-274—839 (-25)
8. Colorado State…283-280-279—842 (-22)
9. Fresno State…286-277-289—852 (-12)
10. Boise State…287-288-283—858 (-6)
11. Utah State…300-283-284—867 (+3)
12. Air Force…294-290-298—882 (+18)
* - defeated New Mexico in a playoff
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 64 players + SDSU)
1. Zach Little (UNLV)…69-66-64—199 (-17)
2. Tyler Kowack (San Diego State)…65-69-66—200 (-16)
3. Harry Takis (San Diego State)…68-66-69—203 (-13)
T4. Brody Leid (Wyoming)…67-68-69—204 (-12)
T4. Johnnie Clark (New Mexico)…72-66-66—204 (-12)
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T29. Nathan Sampson (San Diego State)…68-72-74—214 (-2)
T35. Dylan Oyama (San Diego State)…72-74-69—215 (-1)
49. Kai Hirayama (San Diego State)…75-74-71—220 (+4)
Tyler Kowack Takes Second as Aztecs Finish Third at Mountain West Championship
Kowack (-16) takes second with Harry Takis (-13) finishing in third. The Aztecs finished third of 12 teams at 35-under par.
